PENSACOLA — Pensacola’s Celebrity Chefs will spice up the food and crowds at Pensacola Beach’s biggest culinary event in September.
The 9th Annual Taste of the Beach will take place Friday evening, Sept. 23, with a VIP dinner. It will continue all day Saturday, Sept. 24, with cooking demonstrations, chef challenges, sample tastings and a live concert.
The Chef’s Challenge starts at 11 a.m. in front of the Gulfside Pavilion Stage. The cooking contest pits six Pensacola Beach and two Downtown Pensacola chefs against each other for the chance to win a cash prize, a trophy and bragging rights for a year.
New this year, Taste of the Beach will present a Team Cook Off at noon. Local celebrities, beach businesses and civic organizations can compete against each other using surprise ingredients.
Pensacola Celebrity Chefs will take the stage at 1 p.m. to present simultaneous live cooking demonstrations. The chefs include Dan Dunn of H2O at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front, Irv Miller of Jackson's Steakhouse, Jim Shirley of The Fish House, Gus Silivos of Skopelos at New World and Frank Taylor of Global Grill.
Following the demonstrations, festival-goers with pre-purchased wristbands can sample the chefs’ creations. A limited number of wristbands are available for $20 at www.tasteofpensacolabeach.com.
The Lectrik Mullet band will entertain the crowd with cover tunes for all ages starting at 3 p.m. Musician Tim Spencer will perform from 5 to 7 p.m.
Also from 5 to 7 p.m., festival-goers can sample more than nearly two dozen beers from six different regional breweries. Wristbands can be purchased on the website for $12.
Glam-rock cover band The Molly Ringwalds will close out the festival with a free concert at 7 p.m.
See www.TasteofPensacolaBeach.com for more information.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Pensacola Beach Chamber announces 2016 Taste of the Beach lineup