Call it a Sweep! A FF Sweep For NCA's Best European

-New York
-Lynn Avi captured the first place trophy and led four fellow FFers in the first Feast Fest sweep of an NCA award since 2009.

A "sweep" is when all of the top five slots of an NCA award are occupied by a Feast Fest chef, and after a drought of such occurrences in 2010, they've popped back up here in 2011. Lynn Avi won NCA's Best European 2011 with 19% of the vote, and following her were Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling with 17%, Fredrik Persønn with 12%, Andruw Stephan with 9%, and Alexei Aiber with 7%. A collection of 37 other chefs comprised the remaining 36%. Guilliame Jacquetaine was also in the running and received 3.2%.

"It is truly thrilling to learn that Feast Fest has achieved a sweep again, and I am immeasurably proud of all the chefs who comprised this one," commented Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt. Many of the chefs were asleep when the announcement was made and have not been told of it yet. "They'll know as soon as they wake, we'll call them."







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FF Ticketing Hotline Closed

-The Feast Fest ticketing hotline will close at Midnight Pacific Sunday. Beginning Monday, no tickets for FF 2011 will be available for purchase. FF 2012 tickets and Beachview Resort 2011 FF dates lodging will remain available.

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Correction

An article on Marc Monde winning NCA's Best Canadian said it was the first time his son Aleck podiumed in an NCA award. Aleck did podium in 2010 under the Best Rookie Chef category.

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Bartlett Contemplates Return

-Marina del Rey, CA
-As the list of potential chef additions for Feast Fest 2012 continues to grow, yet another name can be added, this one a former member of the event.

Gerald Bartlett, 44, participated from 2000-2002 and says he is contemplating returning to the event. Bartlett racked up 47 NCA points over those three years.

Bartlett left due to contractual disagreements, but preliminary meetings Saturday led to the conclusion that the two sides may be able to work out a viable deal for a 2012 return.

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Jámes has surgery date moved up

-Los Angeles
-Jarólde Jámes has announced that he has moved up a surgery date to repair an injured foot from Nov. 20 to Nov. 15.

The move increases the likelihood he will be able to participate in FF, as he originally feared surgery recovery would bench him.




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Monde & Son Monde Place 1st, 2nd in NCA's Best Canadian

-New York
-Former FF chef Marc Monde and his son, current FF chef Aleck Monde, have finished back to back in first and second place, respectively, for the NCA's "Best Canadian Chef of 2011" honor.

Marc Monde has won this award before in 2002, when he was an FF chef, and in 2009, by the time he had left Feast Fest. His son Aleck racks up his first career NCA award podium here.

Marc Monde has also won NCA's best French in 1999 and 2007, and placed fifth in the running for the 2011 version of that award, losing out to fellow FFer Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling.

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Correction

The "Week in Feast Fest" entry for Friday, Nov. 11-Thursday, Nov. 17 was erroneously not released until late Friday night. It should have been released early Friday morning.

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