As the summer season winds down in Saratoga, a different type of act is coming to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
Visitors to the 2012 Saratoga Wine & Food and Fall Ferrari Festival on Sept. 7, 8 and 9 will be able to enjoy the park’s grounds along with some world-class cuisine, cars, fashion and of course, wine. Proceeds from the event will help support SPAC’s classical programs and educational components.
This year’s theme, Salute to Style, will have a little something for everyone and marks the festival’s 12th year. Ticket prices vary depending on what portion of the festival you wish to take in.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to give a great value when people want it most, and to experience SPAC in a whole different way,” said Marcia White, SPAC’s president and executive director.
The event is a major fundraiser for the venue’s classical and educational elements, which together have a price tag of around $3 million. The educational portion is especially important to the surrounding community and exposes the arts to kids, including through visits by NYC Ballet dancers to area schools.
According to Lisa Hill, a SPAC public relations specialist, monies for the programs are also raised through a combination of SPAC memberships, private gifts and corporate sponsorships. She added that last year’s Fall Festival saw 3,000 guests, with more expected this year.
The event has always featured wine and this year’s wine sponsor is Cantina di Canelli, a cooperative of more than 200 vine growers from Italy’s Piedmont region. The Italian Trade Commission will host a grand tasting at the Italian Pavilion and feature Italian wines and spirits along with gourmet items and delicacies prepared by the area chefs.
This year is also the first time SPAC has paired up with Saratoga Polo, which is hosting kick-off and finale events including a Sparkle for SPAC Sunday Brunch and exhibition Polo match.
A nod to fashion is also making its debut during the festival ia a Haute Style Fashion Tent and Lounge. It features a collection of couture designs and accessories by top name designers like Georg Jensen and Max Mara.
Hill said the fashion element gives everybody a chance to “stroll the grounds and stop in and look at what’s on display.” The fashion lounge will also host a live auction.
What may well be one of the biggest draws to the festival will be another first – a Cast Iron Chef Challenge on Saturday, with host celebrity chef Suvir Saran. Area chefs Jaime Ortiz of Mazzone Hospitality and Patrick Longton of The Wishing Well will be competing using mystery ingredients. Tickets for the challenge are $10, kids 12 and under are free courtesy ofCDPHP.
The challenge is the final round of a summer-long cooking invitational sponsored by Adirondack Appliance and Blue Star, and it was Tom Thibeault of Adirondack Appliance who came up with the idea.
“Our economy is largely depressed and it’s easy to fail in protecting the arts … I don’t want to see them slip away into oblivion,” said Saran, who lives in Hebron and owns Dévi, an Indian restaurant in Manhattan. “We need every penny to expose children to the arts.”
For a full schedule of events at the festival, visit spac.org.