Food agenda: American Culinary Federation National Convention

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This week's food agenda highlights the American Culinary Federation's National Convention in which industry professionals converge and share their know-how. Alton Brown makes a celebrity stop this year to give a workshop on 'the most powerful chemical agent' in the kitchen - salt.

American Culinary Federation National Convention
July 22 - 26
Gaylord, TX, USA

Chefs, students and industry professionals converge at this expo to learn the latest culinary trends and cooking techniques with educational seminars, demonstrations and workshops. Seminars range from charcuterie, chocolate, tandoori cooking to plating and baking. Alton Brown also stops by to give a workshop on "the most powerful chemical agent" in the kitchen. Young aspiring chefs will also get to showcase their chops at the Student Chef of the Year Competition.

http://www.acfchefs.org/

All-Star Cochon
July 24
Las Vegas, NV, USA

For the porcine lover, All-Star Cochon brings together 10 of the country's leading chefs, four-star butchers and 14 heritage breed pigs to showcase pork in all its glory. The chefs will work together to prepare a "snout-to-tail" menu from pigs sourced in their local markets and then flown to Las Vegas. Chefs will be represented by restaurants like French Laundry, Del Posts in New York, Coppa in Boston, and Michael Mina. Guests will also get side by side butchery demonstrations, charcuterie and wine tastings, as well as craft brews and specially paired artisan cocktails. Tickets start at $150. VIP tickets that include a private tasting of reserve wines, artisan cheese, oysters and caviar, are $200.
http://www.cochon555.com/

El Bulli closes
July 30
Cala Montjoi, Spain

The legendary restaurant of Ferran Adrià will serve the final dinner of its lifetime on this night. The three-Michelin-star restaurant has generated a reputation of near mythic proportions for being the birthplace of molecular gastronomy and launching a new genre of cooking. The restaurant will reopen in 2014 as a culinary think tank. It was also named Best Restaurant in the World four years in a row.

http://elbulli.com/

The Great British Beer Festival
August 2-6
London, UK

The largest beer festival in Britain will feature more than 700 British ales, ciders and foreign beers from the US and Australia to Earls Court in London. Last year, the event attracted more than 66,000 beer lovers. Beer tutorials are also available.

http://gbbf.camra.org.uk/home

Hong Kong Food Expo
August 11 - 15
Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Food Expo continues to grow in popularity. Last year the event attracted more than 740 exhibitors from 22 countries - a 23 percent growth over the previous year. New participating countries this year include Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Switzerland and Uganda. The fair is divided into two sections: the trade hall, where suppliers and buyers conduct business, and the public hall, where visitors can find the latest innovative products.

http://www.hktdc.com/fair/hkfoodexpo-en/HKTDC-Food-Expo.html

Diner en Blanc
August 18 - Quebec City and Montreal, Quebec, Canada
August 25 - New York, NY, USA

You could be forgiven for thinking you've just stumbled upon a small cult when you see hundreds of people moving en masse to an undisclosed location, all dressed impeccably in white. Either that, or you've come across the guestlist of a Diddy party. In fact, this Parisian tradition of assembling in famous landmarks and setting up one communal picnic with candelabras, expensive china, silverware and wine glasses will, for the first time this year, hit New York and Quebec City. The inaugural Diner en Blanc in New York is limited to a thousand guests and the location will be held secret until the last minute.

http://dinerenblanc.info/