Source: 2011 Flavor! Napa Valley

Culinary superstars descended on the Silverado Resort & Spa in Napa and and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone in St. Helena for the 2011 Flavor! Napa Valley this past weekend. The four-day food extravaganza celebrated farm-to-table cuisine and world-class wine from the region, and the proceeds benefited the CIA’s Greystone campus scholarship programs.

Participating chefs included Stephen Barber (Fish Story), Michael Chiarello (Bottega), Scott Conant (Scarpetta Restaurant, New York), Robert Curry (Auberge du Soleil), Tyler Florence (Rotisserie & Wine), Ken Frank (La Toque), Todd Humphries (Kitchen Door), Jeffrey Jake (Silverado Resort and Spa), Thomas Keller (The French Laundry), Christopher Kostow (The Restaurant at Meadowood), Aaron London (Ubuntu), Masaharu Morimoto (Morimoto Napa), Cindy Pawlcyn (Go Fish, Mustards, Cindy’s Back Street Kitchen), and Brandon Sharp (Solbar at Solage).

Florence charmed a long line of faithful fans as he discussed squid with squid-ink polenta and his favorite Thanksgiving tips. Top Chef winner Richard Blais managed to serve up barbecued lamb ribs despite the constant flashing from camera phones, and a wave of publicists and culinary heavyweights could be found sprinkled amongst the casual crowd of food lovers. But perhaps the biggest story of the event was Chiarello’s triumphant return after he had his appendix removed the same morning as his 2 p.m. cooking demonstration and lunch (hospital bracelet still intact).

Source: Eater LA

Like Haute Living San Francisco? Join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @HauteLivingSF. Want Haute Living San Francisco delivered to your inbox once a week? Sign up for our newsletter.