Tickets go on sale today for the fourth annual New Haven Food & Wine Festival which returns this summer as a newly expanded, weeklong series of culinary offerings, complete with five distinct events during the New Haven Open at Yale presented by First Niagara, a WTA event that is part of the Olympus US Open Series to be held August 18-27, 2011 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, it was announced today by Tournament Director Anne Worcester.
The five events of this year’s Food & Wine Festival will collectively feature more than 20 of the city’s top restaurants, giving guests multiple opportunities to sample an array of gourmet cuisine, wine and cocktails. Tickets for the New Haven Open at Yale, which will feature World No. 1 and three-time defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, and the Food & Wine Festival’s five special events are now on sale. For more information about tickets, fans can call 1-855-4-NHTENNIS or visit www.newhavenopen.com.
BBQ Bash, Sunday, August 21, Session 1, 5:00-7:30pm
Food and tennis lovers alike will delight in the first-ever BBQ Bash, a tasty and spirited kick-off to the courtside New Haven Food & Wine Festival. Chefs from 116 Crown, Caseus, Heirloom, Zinc, Ibiza, Thali, Oaxaca Kitchen and Union League Café will personally serve up barbeque inspired cuisine grill-side with the appropriate accompaniments for an outdoor feast. This exciting new event will also feature live music. Tickets are $75 (with a box seat ticket), $50 (with an Adult Middle Tier ticket) & $35 (with a Junior Middle Tier ticket).
Mixology 101: History of the Cocktail sponsored by Lux Bond & Green, Monday, August 22, Session 3, 5:00-7:00pm
Aspiring cocktail connoisseurs can join New Haven’s top Mixologist,
John Ginnetti of 116 Crown, for a fun interactive evening in the
basics of making cocktails with Mixology 101: History of the Cocktail sponsored by Lux Bond & Green. Join John as he demonstrates and explains the essentials of how to correctly make many of your favorite classic cocktails. This informative “class” will walk you through the history of six classic cocktails, how to properly make them and will allow guests to experience each of John’s cocktails that he prepares. The “class” will be followed by an evening of food and tennis in the Courtside Club - an air-conditioned suite overlooking Stadium Court. Tickets are $125 and include a set of four cocktail glasses courtesy of Lux Bond & Green.
Champagne Tasting sponsored by The Wine Thief & Lux Bond & Green,
Tuesday, August, 23, Session 5, 5:00–7:00pm
Wine aficionados can join New Haven’s foremost wine authority, The
Wine Thief, as they present a classic Champagne Tasting sponsored by The Wine Thief & Lux Bond & Green. The tasting will feature six
“Grower’s Champagnes” from the Champagne region of France. The Grower will walk you through the process of how Champagne is made and what you should be looking for when choosing an elegant bubbly for any occasion. This event will be held on Tuesday, August 23 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The tasting will be followed by an evening of food and tennis in the Courtside Club. Tickets are $125 and include a set of champagne glasses courtesy of Lux Bond & Green.
Grand Tasting – Wednesday, August 24, Session 7, 5:00-7:30pm
The highly anticipated Grand Tasting will celebrate its fourth
anniversary and, as in past years, will feature dishes from nearly two dozen of New Haven’s finest dining establishments. Local chefs will offer roving diners a chance to sample an array of menu items
complemented by wine pairings. Participating restaurants for 2011
include 116 Crown, Barcelona, Basta Trattoria, Bespoke, Caseus,
Claire’s Corner Copia, Geronimo, Heirloom, Ibiza, John Davenport’s,
Kitchen Zinc, Miso, L’Orcio, Oaxaca, Pacifico, Red, Thali, Thali Too, Union League Café, and Zinc. Tickets are $150 and include a box seat ticket.
Vineyard Vines Ladies Day Luncheon & Fashion Show hosted by Island
Time, Thursday, August 25, Session 8, 11:30am-1:00pm
An ideal event for those interested in fashion is the Vineyard Vines Ladies Day Luncheon & Fashion Show hosted by Island Time. This lively luncheon will feature a tasty menu created by a New Haven Chef, for an enjoyable afternoon with the ladies. During the fashion show, Island Time will also debut the season’s top Vineyard Vines’ “back to school” styles. Tables of six are $600 and individual tickets are $105 and include a box seat tennis ticket, gift bag and door prizes.
About New Haven Open at Yale presented by First Niagara
New Haven Open at Yale presented by First Niagara has always been much more than a tennis tournament; it is a leading example of leveraging a large-scale international sporting event to generate $26 million in regional economic impact and to build community pride, spirit and engagement, especially among youth. The 2011 tournament, which will feature World No. 1 and three-time defending champion Caroline Wozniacki, is a women’s-only WTA event that is part of the Olympus US Open Series and will be held August 18-27 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale. The tournament is prominently featured domestically on ESPN2 and also broadcast around the world.
About First Niagara Financial Group
As of April 25th, First Niagara Financial Group, Inc., through its
wholly owned subsidiary, First Niagara Bank, N.A., has $30 billion in assets, 346 branches and $18 billion in deposits. First Niagara Bank, N.A. is a multi-state community-oriented bank providing financial services to individuals, families and businesses across Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.fnfg.com.
About the Olympus US Open Series
The Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular
season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans follow the action throughout the summer through national television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men's and women's finals every Sunday afternoon. Players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express and Evian.
Andy Murray won the 2010 Olympus US Open Series men's title and
Caroline Wozniacki won the women's title. In 2007, Roger Federer
collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history -- $2.4 million --
for winning US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim
Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Olympus US Open
Series, winning $2.2 million -- the largest purse in women's sports
history -- and again equaled that amount in 2010, winning the US Open and finishing the Olympus US Open Series in second place.
