FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Apr 20, 2012 -
The International Food, Wine & Travel  Writers Association’s (IFWTWA) prestigious Excellence Awards are  awarded quarterly and recognize the best of the best in beverages, cruise, culinary, and hospitality around the world.  The award nominations are recommended by IFWTWA members, carefully evaluated by IFWTWA’s Excellence Awards Committee, and finally approved by IFWTWA’s Board of Directors.

Executive Chef Brian Puett of the Metate Room Restaurant in Mesa Verde, Colorado was awarded a Culinary Excellence Award in the second quarter of 2012 in part for his  mission to preserve the area’s culinary tradition while adding his own contemporary spin. Puett’s goal is not only to meet the increased expectations of Mesa Verde national park visitors, but to go easy on the environment and do as much business as possible with the locals.

According to the IFWTWA member journalist who nominated Chef Puett, Chef’s preparation uses innovative and cutting edge techniques; the combination of ingredients is well balanced in terms of flavor profile and texture.  The presentation is creative, appetizing and aesthetically pleasing.  Chef Puett was commended on his exemplary use of sustainable sources (i.e. locally sourced, organic ingredients).

Brian Puett graduated from the Denver School of Culinary Arts and decided to stay in the local outdoors/small town area instead of heading for NY or LA. Puett describes his cuisine as contemporary Southwestern, with a philosophical bent toward traditional and sustainable local ingredients. “Colorado is a natu­ral land of bounty,” Puett points out. “The Ancestral Puebloans began cultivating the Mesa Verde region 1,400 years ago, growing corn, beans, and other Southwestern staples and taking advantage of the native animal population.” At his restaurant, he features these ingredients in creative forms, like the locally grown beans he uses for his black bean hummus, which is served in lieu of rolls and butter as a complimentary appetizer, presented with a selection of traditional Native American flatbreads made in-house with locally produced and milled flour.

For addtional information visit: http://www.visitmesaverde.com/dining/metate-room.aspx

About: The International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) is a dynamic nonprofit organization based out of Southern California. What started out as a small group of prominent restaurant writers  in 1956 is now a global network of journalists, bloggers and photographers who cover the hospitality and lifestyle fields, and the people who promote them. Members cover a broad spectrum of travel destination attractions such as active and passive adventure activities, ecology, historical features, culture, fairs, festivals, food, wine, and special events. The association’s membership includes professionals in culinary arts and sciences, the wine growing and production industry, and hotel and hospitality management industries.

For more information on the IFWTWA visit: http://www.IFWTWA.org

Issued By		:	Kissam Consulting for IFWTWA
City/Town		:	Temecula
State/Province		:	California
Country		:	United States
Industry		:	Food, Tourism, Travel

The IFWTWA Board of Directors welcomes Kirstie Bedford as an  Australasia Associate Member. Kirstie is the Director of  KDJM Communications of Melbourne, Australia. Kirstie was referred by Graeme Kemlo. KDJM Communications is a boutique PR agency in Melbourne, owned and operated by Kirstie Bedford, who has more than 17  years experience in media and PR. Kirstie has worked as a print and radio journalist, and in the public and private sectors in PR management roles.

KDJM provides  full creative marketing/communication plans, individual plans for a project or event, writing and editing services and media training and advice. KDJM does not outsource clients work to junior staff, preferring to instead utilize a pool of experienced PR practitioners, on an as needed basis.  KDJM has expertise in food, wine, events and tourisim /travel.

updated:4/14/12

Festival Mozaic 42^nd Season Follows In
the Footsteps of Giants

Summer festival to perform inspired works in
spectacular spaces

Festival Mozaic has announced its 2012 summer
season, which will take place July 12-22 in the most charismatic spaces across
California’s Central Coast including Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, Chapel Hill in wine country, Hearst Castle overlooking the sparkling
Pacific Ocean, and Mission San Miguel.  The theme, “In The Footsteps of
Giants,” will showcase a lineage of masterworks which inspired – and were
inspired by – phenomenal composers over the ages.

Led by Music Director, Scott Yoo, the
annual summer festival will feature players from the St. Paul Chamber
Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Baltimore
Symphony and a host of fine orchestras across the country.  Guest artists include violinist Steven Copes, oboist Anne Marie Gabriele, and pianist John Novacek. Additionally, the
Festival Fringe series highlights classically-trained artists working across
genres, including Moira Smiley and VOCO,
famed mandolin players Mike Marshall and
Caterina Lichtenberg, and the Sonus
Quartet, which will perform arrangements of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and
others.

Over its 42 years, the festival has come to be
known for presenting emerging artists early in their careers, including Richard Goode, Jeffrey Kahane, Hilary Hahn,
Sir Neville Marinner, the Kronos Quartet, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer,
and the first American premiere performances of Maxim and Dmitri Shostakovich with Mstislav Rostropovich, immediately following their defection from
the Soviet Union in 1981.

Subscription
ticket packages go on sale April 2, 2012, and individual tickets go on sale May
1. Tickets may be ordered online at www.festivalmozaic.com or by calling 805.781.3009 or 877.881.8899.

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 About Festival Mozaic

Festival Mozaic (founded in 1971 as the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival)
is a celebration of five centuries of music that takes place year-round in
varied venues across San Luis Obispo County. The Festival presents an orchestra
gathered from professionals across the world, chamber music concerts, guest
artists and ensembles, and concerts of classical crossover artists. For more
information, please visit www.FestivalMozaic.com.