Food Republic Teams With Illy At New York Wine And Food Festival

The New York Wine And Food Festival (Oct. 17-20) kicks off this week, and one of the events we're most excited about involves — who else? — us! Food Republic teamed up with illy at its Push Button House installation located at The Grand Tasting on Pier 94 (711 12th Ave. in Manhattan, between 53rd and 54th Streets) for a weekend's worth of talks and brief demonstrations with carefully selected guests including Kurt Gutenbrunner, Sam Sifton, Justin Warner, Jamie Bissonnette and Pichet Ong.

The Food Republic at illy Push Button House programming kicks off Saturday at 12:15 with photographer and writer Melanie Dunea discussing "Art On The Walls" with Gutenbrunner, whose NYC restaurants, including Wallsé and Blaue Gans, are as notable for their art collections as for the elevated Austrian cuisine they serve. Then, Sam Sifton, former New York Times restaurant critic and the author of last year's acclaimed Thanksgiving: How To Cook It Well, joins Food Republic Editorial Director Richard Martin to talk turkey and much more in a primer covering everything from elevated cooking to smart entertaining.

Sunday's lineup includes Next Food Network Star champ Justin Warner in "Beverage Banter," where the chef and restaurateur behind Brooklyn's Do Or Dine will talk coffee, wine and music with Food Republic contributing editor Matt Rodbard. Then, chefs Jamie Bissonnette and Pichet Ong will show off some sneaky skills with "Kitchen Tricks."

The talks and demos will be short, sweet and they take place right amidst the NYCWFF action, and the Push Button House is an art and design project that's worth checking out in itself (read more about the installation via The Cool Hunter). Plus, with illy as the main sponsor, you'll be able to score rich, delicious coffee to power you through all the food events.

Here's the complete lineup:

Saturday, October 19th

12:15pm: Art On The Walls with Kurt Gutenbrunner and Melanie Dunea

2:15pm: Thanksgiving Primer: From Cooking To Entertaining with Sam Sifton

2:45pm: Sam Sifton Book Signing

Sunday, October 20th

2:15pm: Beverage Banter: Coffee, Wine and Music with Justin Warner

3:15pm: Kitchen Tricks: Short Demos On Shortcuts with Jamie Bissonnette and Pichet Ong