Food agenda: referential James Beard Awards name best in the industry

((Photo by Kent Miller/James Beard Foundation Awards))

The event that dominates this week's gastro agenda is the Oscars of the food world, the James Beard Awards. Chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and food writers look forward to this gala every year, in the hope that they will be named the best in their industry. The media awards will be announced Friday, May 6, and the rest of the awards will be handed out on Monday, May 9.

5th Annual Vegas Uncork'd
May 5 -8
Las Vegas, NV, USA

This year's edition of Uncork'd, presented by Bon Appétit magazine, has upped the celebrity wattage with a tribute dinner to French chef Paul Bocuse called "Toques Off to Paul Bocuse," a lavish, multi-course dinner that will be held May 7 at the MGM Grand. The chef lineup is a veritable who's who of the restaurant world, including Alain Ducasse, Hubert Keller, Joel Robuchon, Michael Mina, and Jacques Torres, all of whom will help prepare the feast.
http://www.vegasuncorked.com/

James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards
May 6
New York, NY, USA

The prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards announces the winners of this year's food journalism awards. For the first time this year, judging will be based solely on content and not on the outlet or the type of specific media. Categories include American cooking, International cooking, Photography, TV Food Personality and Host, TV program, Documentary,  Blog and Food Writing.
http://www.jamesbeard.org/index.php?q=awards

6th Annual Weekend des Grands Crus
May 7- 8
Bordeaux, France

For its sixth edition, the wine event of the year in France has changed its name from what was known as The Week-end des Grands Amateurs to the Weekend des Grands Crus. The event is a chance for Bordeaux wine lovers to taste more than a hundred crus with the chateaux owners and producers and tuck into fancy French meals.
http://www.ugcb.net/?page=wga

21st Annual James Beard Foundation Awards 2011
May  9
New York, NY, USA

The James Beard Foundation (JBF) Awards honors a wide range of talent in the food and beverage industry in the US including chefs, restaurateurs, cookbook authors, food journalists, restaurant designers, architects, farmers, bread bakers, winemakers, cheese makers and more at a black-tie gala. The awards are considered a "social and gastronomic highlight of the year," and will name many "Best" including Young Rising Chef, New Restaurant and International Cookbook.
http://www.jamesbeard.org/index.php?q=awards

Vitafoods Europe
May 10 - 12
Geneva, Switzerland

A forum for showcasing the latest products in the nutraceutical and food ingredient industry, Vitafoods Europe brings together tradespeople from all over the world. Last year about 500 companies exhibited innovative products and drew 8,500 attendees from 90 countries.
http://www.vitafoods.eu.com/

Decanter New World Fine Wine Encounter
May 14
London, UK

Decanter magazine hosts a one-day trade show featuring new world wines from 60 wineries. Representatives include winemakers for Argentinian Malbec, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Australian Shiraz. This year's featured country is Chile.
http://www.amiando.com/newworldencounter.html?page=469800

American Craft Beer Week
May 16 - May 22
USA-nationwide

The largest event in the US devoted to craft beer and considered the "Mother of All Beer Weeks" is celebrated by beer lovers, breweries and retailers with a number of local events and national promotions. The seven billion dollar industry holds true to its small and independent craft with a "Declaration of Beer Independence." To look for specific events in your area, visit the website http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/news-and-events/american-craft-beer-week

Saveur magazine announces winners of Best Food Blogs
May 17
Online

Saveur, an international gourmet food, wine and travel magazine, announces the winners of their second annual Best Food Blogs awards. Categories include best baking and desserts, wine, food photography, regional cuisine, special interest, culinary travel, individual post, innovative video content, and kitchen tools and hardware coverage. Last year's winner for Best Baking and Dessert blog was David Lebovitz, an American blogger in Paris.
www.saveur.com/2011-best-food-blog-awards.jsp

31st Annual London International Wine and Spirits Fair
Decanter World Wine Awards announced
May 17 - May 19
London, UK

Decanter magazine's annual wine competition awards wines in different categories like price brackets and region of origin. Wines are tasted blind and compared like for like. The International trophies will be announced to wine professionals during the exclusive wine trade event, the 31st Annual London International Wine and Spirits Fair (LIWF) taking place May 17 to May 19 at ExCel London.  http://2011.londonwinefair.com/content

National Restaurant Association
May 21 - May 24
Chicago, USA

This international event is expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors from more than 100 countries and 1,800 exhibitors for its trade opportunities and star power. The show features a slew of different events for the food and beverage industry, including talks and book signings by celebrity chefs like Marcus Samuelsson and Rick Bayless. Other events include the International Wine Spirits and Beer Event, Food and Beverage Awards, and the World Culinary Showcase where top chefs like Samuelsson, Bayless, Rick Blais - the recent winner of competitive reality show Top Chef All Stars - and Sam Kass give live cooking demos.
http://show.restaurant.org/NRA11/public/enter.aspx

International Wine Spirits & Beer Event
May 22 - May 23
Chicago, IL, USA

This trade show is in partnership with the National Restaurant Association and features different programs for industry visitors like Restaurant Menu Pairings Program, in which chefs from top Chicago restaurants team up with sommeliers, mixologists and brew masters to create food-alcohol pairing stations. The trade show also hosts a Star of the Bar mixology competition, hosted by Top Chef judge and restaurateur Tom Colicchio.
http://winespiritsbeer.org/iwsb11/public/enter.aspx

8th Annual Thaifex- World of Food Asia
May 25 - May 29
Bangkok, Thailand

The largest food and beverage trade show in Southeast Asia, Thaifex brings together a thousand exhibitors and attracts more than 22,000 visitors from around the world. New this year, Indonesia will be participating in a country pavilion for the first time, while the South Korean presence will double from last year. The trade show is modeled after ANUGA, in Cologne Germany.
http://www.worldoffoodthailand.com/

11th annual World Barista Championship
June 2 - June 5
Bogota, Colombia

Each year, baristas from more than 50 countries vie for the chance to boast of their coffee pulling supremacy at the World Barista Championship. This year's competition will be held in coffee country, Colombia, where competitors will try to prepare the best espressos, cappuccinos and original signature drinks of their careers - all in 15 minutes. Baristas are judged on cleanliness, creativity, technical skill, and overall presentation.
http://worldbaristachampionship.com/

Institute of Food Technologists Food Expo
June 11 - to June 14
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

It's a gathering of food scientists, suppliers and marketers who are on the forefront of the next food trends and innovations. The food expo includes Innovation Awards and Trends and Solution tours. Winners of last year's Innovation Awards included Caravan Ingredients who invented a new zero trans fat alternative for frying oils, margarines and salad dressings.
http://www.am-fe.ift.org/cms/