Zestfest Midwest Update

ZESTFEST MIDWEST: FOOD, FLAVOR, FUN!

Dispatch Media Group/Crave Magazine Partners Children’s Hunger Alliance Benefitting Charity

(Columbus, OH) – Mark your calendars for June 28-30, 2013, and don’t miss the very first “ZestFest Midwest” at the Ohio Expo Center for a flavorful, fun foodie experience sure to tempt the palate. Sponsored by Crave magazine, Children’s Hunger Alliance will be the benefiting charity.

ZestFest Midwest will bring together exhibitors with spicy foods and tasty products from around Central Ohio and the country for one exciting weekend featuring hot and barbeque sauces, salsas, spices, condiments, snacks, sweets-a host of specialty and flavorful foods and beverages of all types to tantalize taste buds.

The mission of Children’s Hunger Alliance is to ensure all children are fed regular and nutritious meals and develop lifelong healthy eating habits. The agency does this by directly feeding children nutritious meals in child care homes and afterschool programs; increasing easy access to nutritious foods in schools and summer feeding locations; and educating children to make healthy food choices and engage in physical activity. To learn more about Children’s Hunger Alliance, visit www.childrenshungeralliance.org or call (614)341-7700 or (800)227-5446.

ZestFest Midwest will be open on Friday, June 28 from 1pm to 9pm, Saturday, June 29, 10am to 6 pm, and Sunday, June 30, 10am to 5pm. Admission includes food and beverage sampling, competitive eating contests and all of the Celebrity Chef stage cooking demonstrations. Tickets are available in advance and for a discount at www.zestfestmidwest.com. Ticket pricing is $10 on the opening Friday and $12 for Sat and Sunday at the Ohio Expo Center. There is a $2.00 box office fee. Children 12 and under are free. Plus attendees can help The Children’s Hunger Alliance by donating to the charity when purchasing tickets.

The Dispatch Shows Group and Crave have aligned with ZestFest Midwest. “ZestFest has a proven track record and is a show we feel will be popular with the foodie community in central Ohio,” said Stephen Zonars, GM of The Dispatch Shows Group.

Now in its 11th year, ZestFest originated in Irving, Texas and has steadily grown from a niche gathering to a successful national event. Under the direction of Greg Bagarozy and June DeRousee, ZestFest has now hit the road with its first Central Ohio stop and is on a mission to stamp out boring food!

ZestFest Midwest will be action-packed – the ultimate party for food enthusiasts! Cooking demos by celebrity chefs, live music, interactive contests and delicious foods and beverages to sample and purchase will make June 28-30, 2013 the zestiest weekend of the year! Participating sponsors include Ca-Jon’s Flavor & Fire, The North Market, Food CONNECT and the Packaging Support Group among others.

The Dispatch Printing Company also produces consumer shows that connect Central Ohioans and their interests in their home, gardening, entertaining, family health, art and culture and now Food. These shows are fun, entertaining and designed to help attendees find the serious information they are looking for – connecting them with experts and ideas that can help people live and eat better.

Crave is a quarterly magazine and daily website (www.columbuscrave.com} covering the central Ohio restaurant scene. Crave is a guide to the best eats our city and region have to offer. The magazine and website celebrate the people and places, trends and ideas that make local restaurants so interesting. It inspires readers to dig in and eat it up! Crave is published four times a year and distributed by The Dispatch Printing Company (also the publishers of The Columbus Dispatch; This Week community newspapers; a magazine division including Capital Style, Alive! Columbus Monthly, CEO and Columbus Parent; the Dispatch Digital network of websites and is also the owner of WBNS-10TV and 971The Fan and 1460ESPNColumbus radio).

For more information on Zestfest Midwest, please visit www.zestfestmidwest.com

or contact Gregory Bagarozy, gr*****@ze******.net, 845-661-3616 or

June DeRousse, ju**@ze******.net, 210-483-8987

Zestfest Midwest

21 Cimarron Rd.
Putnam Valley, New York 10579
(845) 661-3616