Outer Banks, N.C. – Professional chef Ed Brantley and his wife Heba Salama, weight loss winners from Season 6 of TV’s “The Biggest Loser,” will bring a combination of healthy bites and celebrity to the Annual Outer Banks Taste of the Beach Weekend, March 11-14, 2010.
Ed and Heba will host the “Kickin’ It Up A Notch Kick Off” on Thursday, March 11th at the Outer Banks Brewing Station, hold two Healthy Eating / Healthy Living Cooking Demonstrations, presented by Dominion Power, and co-sponsored by Village Realty, Roanoke Island Designs and Kelly’s Hospitality Group, March 11th & March 14th, make special guest appearances at various events throughout the weekend, and act as celebrity judges at the Grand Finale Taste of The Beach Expo on Sunday, March 14th at Pamlico Jack’s Pirate Hideaway, where over 20 restaurants will compete for the 1st ever TOBY Awards. Awards include "Best Booth Presentation," "Best In Show" and "Peoples Choice." Ed and Heba will also participate in the 21st Annual Kelly’s St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Running of The Leprechauns 8k race.
A graduate of the prestigious Johnson and Wales College of Culinary Arts in Charleston, South Carolina, Ed worked under well-known chef Donald Barickman at Magnolia's in Charleston's historic district. He currently teaches European Cuisine at the Arts Institute of Raleigh, North Carolina.
In addition to his experience as a chef, Ed and Heba are working on a cookbook of healthy recipes for release later this year. The couple will hold cooking demonstrations featuring recipes from the book at the Annual Outer Banks Taste of the Beach.
“It’s an honor to be included in the Annual Outer Banks Taste of the Beach and the event’s culinary traditions. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to share some of our favorite recipes from the cookbook we’re working on at an event that combines good food and an appreciation for healthy living in our home state,” said Ed.
"We’re very excited to have Ed and Heba as special guests for this year’s Annual Outer Banks Taste Of The Beach Weekend. Between Ed’s experience as a chef, the couple’s upcoming cookbook and their North Carolina roots, they’re a perfect fit for this event," said Outer Banks Restaurant Association President Ben Sproul.
Hosted by the Outer Banks Restaurant Association and sponsored by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, the Annual Outer Banks Taste of The Beach Weekend is an opportunity for anyone from casual chefs to foodie fanatics to sample a wide range of foods through events. You’re invited to The Outer Banks of North Carolina for one of the Top 10 Wine & Seafood Festivals in the US, according to Coastal Living magazine. The Outer Banks Taste of The Beach Weekend is a fantastic way to sample the fare of several fine restaurants on the Outer Banks in one fun-filled, foodie-fanatic weekend! With over 50 individual events to choose from, you can pick your events and purchase your tickets all in one location. Events begin on Thursday, March 11th and end on Sunday, March 14th. You can indulge in a fancy wine dinner one night and mix with the masses in a tapas crawl the next. Tickets are limited and events sell out fast so get yours today.
Tickets are sold by the event. To buy your tickets, see a complete list of events and to begin planning your culinary weekend on The Outer Banks of North Carolina, visit http://www.obxtasteofthebeach.com
About Ed & Heba
Ed and Heba shot to fame as weight loss winners on TV's "The Biggest Loser" by losing a combined total of 277 pounds. On the show, Heba became the first woman to win the "at home" prize of $100,000 for the highest percentage of weight lost overall. Her husband, Ed, finished the season in second place. Since then, the couple has been busy writing a cookbook of healthy recipes, working with non-profit organizations to prevent childhood obesity and promote fitness, as well as appearing regularly as guest speakers. Their cookbook will be available in the spring of 2010.
About The Annual Outer Banks Taste of The Beach Weekend
The Outer Banks Restaurant Association began holding the Taste of The Beach over 20 years ago. Since then, the event has evolved into a four day foodie-fanatic weekend, exposing visitors to dozens of the Outer Banks' finest restaurants and brewers through wine tastings, cooking classes, special menu presentations, guest chef appearances, tapas crawls and the Grand Finale Taste of The Beach Expo, where restaurants compete for “best in show” honors.
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Contact
Quinn E. Capps
252-480-3337
quinncapps@earthlink.net
