Foodie News
TICKETS ARE NOW LIVE FOR THE BOCA RATON’S “ARTISANS OF WINE & FOOD” PRESENTED BY CAPITAL ONE
Napa Valley’s most famous wine event will make its East Coast debut this winter, providing unparalleled access to prestigious winemakers and celebrated chefs from January 17 – 19, 2025
BOCA RATON, Fla. /PRNewswire/ — South Florida’s iconic resort and private club, The Boca Raton, announces tickets are now live for its highly anticipated Artisans of Wine & Food weekend, taking place January 17-19, 2025. The first-of-its-kind event in partnership with the esteemed Napa Valley Vintners will bring together more than 75 winemakers, 20+ celebrated and Michelin-starred chefs, and immersive programming for a celebration of fine wine and food that promises to become a coveted annual tradition. Gourmands can purchase tickets for the event here.
The multi-day experience, presented by Capital One, will be orchestrated by some of the world’s most renowned culinary minds such as legendary Chef David Breeden, famed Chef and Restaurateur Mario Carbone, and a dinner curated by an all-female line-up of top chefs matched with female-owned wineries/winemakers.
The weekend culminates with a gala where attendees will indulge in a four-course dinner artistically directed by Fabio Trabocchi, Michelin-Starred Chef and Restaurateur of Washington DC’s Fiola and Boca Raton’s Fiolina Ristorante. As the evening unfolds, guests will have the opportunity to bid on fine wines, luxury experiences, and bespoke getaways, in an exclusive auction hosted by international auctioneer Jacqueline Towers-Perkins.
“For the first time, we’re bringing the heart of Napa Valley to the East Coast in an unprecedented showcase of wine and culinary talent,” said Daniel A. Hostettler, President & CEO of The Boca Raton. “It’s a privilege to host these celebrated vintners and chefs, and we’ve crafted an extraordinary event for Club members and hotel guests to toast to a truly worthy cause.”
The wine auction’s proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County and Napa Valley. This charitable initiative highlights The Boca Raton’s dedication to supporting local neighborhoods and investing in youth development through educational and enrichment programs.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Friday, January 17
- Choose from a series of exclusive dinners hosted by celebrated vintners of Napa Valley:
- The Great Cabernets of Napa Valley four-course dinner will showcase a modern interpretation of a chophouse menu with big bottle cabs, featuring Chefs Will Cox of The Boca Raton, Nathan Rich of Twin Farms, Chris Huerta of Old Edwards Inn, and Adam Young of Sift Bake Shop.
- At Bella Notte, dine like family during an Italian feast by James Beard Award-winning Master Chef Mario Carbone of Michelin-starred restaurants Carbone and ZZ’s Clam Bar.
- Dinner En Plein Air is curated by female vintners and Relais & Châteaux chefs, Jennifer Backman of The Inn at Castle Hill, Sarah Steffan of Blackberry Farm, and Lindsay Autry of Honeybelle – PGA National, with a dessert course by Pastry Chef Jessica Quiet of Ocean House.
- The Premiere Napa Valley Dinner offers a barrel tasting of Napa Valley’s rarest micro-lot wines, an opportunity to select and wear Lugano Diamonds during the tasting, and indulge in a multi-course menu by Michelin-starred Chef Stéphane Andrieux of Château de la Treyne and Sebastien Feneyrol of The Boca Raton.
- A Culinary Celebration of Caviar dinner with Executive Chef Edgar Panchernikov boasts dishes from the world’s only Michelin-starred caviar house Caviar Russe.
- Icons of Napa Valley offers an intimate, al fresco dining experience showcasing exceptional Napa Valley wines with menus prepared by Chef David Breeden, former Chef de Cuisine at The French Laundry–a role he held for nearly 20 years.
- Latin Flavors four-course dinner by Chef Adriano Venturini of Eden Roc Cap Cana, a Relais & Châteaux resort in the Dominican Republic.
- An Argentine Asado BBQ served on The Boca Raton’s fairway, features food stations and dishes using traditional asado techniques and modern twists, live music, and single-site wines.
- The Great Cabernets of Napa Valley four-course dinner will showcase a modern interpretation of a chophouse menu with big bottle cabs, featuring Chefs Will Cox of The Boca Raton, Nathan Rich of Twin Farms, Chris Huerta of Old Edwards Inn, and Adam Young of Sift Bake Shop.
- An Artisans After Hours event presents chef-curated hors d’oeuvres, alongside premium wines and music by Vintner and DJ Jason Lede. Close out the day in style while mingling with winemakers and celebrated chefs.
Saturday, January 18
- Vintners Invitational Golf Tournament: Play side by side with vintners and chefs for prizes provided by Bugatchi and TaylorMade, complete with continental breakfast at The Boca Raton Golf Club.
- Winemaker Series: Seven different intimate educational tastings led by Napa Valley’s renowned winemakers and vintners. Take part in discussions that spotlight the unique terroir and signature wines of the region, featuring BOND Wine, Groth Vineyards & Winery, Oakville, among several others. Topics include Mountain vs. Valley Floor, a Riedel performance tasting, wine & caviar pairings, and more.
- The Discover Napa Valley Tasting Pavilion featuring more than 125 world-class wines and over 20 restaurants: Guests can drift through the tented Grand Lawn and relish in great sips and decadent tastings along the way.
- Modern Meritage on the Spanish Terrace: 12 celebrated chefs prepare their personal favorite burger recipes paired with craft beer in an al fresco setting.
- Yacht Tour of Lake Boca: Enjoy a one-hour charter on open water accompanied by a vintner for relaxed and intimate conversations while indulging in world-class wines.
- Sip & Shop with Worth Avenue: Sip on sparkling wine and rosé while browsing through the collection of six high-end boutiques from Palm Beach’s famed Worth Avenue. Boutiques include Brioni, Carolina Herrera, Anne Fontaine, among others.
- Artisans of Wine & Food Charity Auction and Gala featuring a four-course dinner directed by Fabio Trabocchi, Michelin-Starred Chef and Restaurateur of Washington DC’s Fiola and Boca Raton’s Fiolina Ristorante: Bid on artisan-crafted bottles, luxurious delights, and bespoke getaways. Auction led by globally-recognized auctioneer Jacqueline Towers-Perkins, with proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County and Napa Valley.
Sunday, January 19
- To the South with Love is a Southern brunch experience hosted by International BBQ Entertainer Jack Arnold and a curated selection of Palm Beach restaurants. Delight in a final send-off, complete with live jazz music, and a sparkling wine bar.
Stay up to date on news and developments at ArtisansofWineandFood.com. Follow along on social media @artisansofwineandfood.
The Boca Raton
The Boca Raton originally opened in 1926 as The Ritz-Carlton Cloister Inn. In the 2020s, it celebrates its most remarkable evolution and its 100th anniversary. The property provides year-round escape, exclusively for members of The Boca Raton Club and resort guests. Five hotels amid 200 waterfront acres include Cloister, Yacht Club, Beach Club, Tower, and Bungalows. The unveiling of Beach Club in December 2024 marks a major milestone in The Boca Raton’s storied history, serving as Phase II of the resort’s transformation. The Boca Raton’s culinary offerings showcase a world of flavor, with signature restaurants in partnership with Major Food Group. Resort amenities include a private beach, the Forbes Five-Star Spa Palmera, an 18-hole golf course, a full-service marina, Racquet Club with 14 tennis courts and 12 pickleball courts, retail shops, seven swimming pools, and various water activities at Harborside Pool Club, state-of-the-art fitness clubs and wellness collaborations. For reservations, call (561) 447-3000 or visit TheBocaRaton.com.
Capital One
At Capital One, we’re on a mission for our customers – bringing them best-in-class products, rewards, service, and experiences. Capital One is a diversified bank that offers products and services to individuals, small businesses, and commercial clients. We use technology, innovation, and interaction to provide consumers with products and services to meet their needs. Through Capital One Dining and Capital One Entertainment, we provide our rewards cardholders with access to unforgettable experiences in the areas they’re passionate about, including dining, music, sports and the arts. Learn more at capitalone.com/dining and capitalone.com/entertainment.
About the Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners nonprofit trade association has been cultivating excellence since 1944 by inspiring its nearly 550 members to consistently produce wines of the highest quality, provide environmental leadership and care for the extraordinary place they call home. NVV has invested more than $230 million in community healthcare, youth development and the environment in Napa County, and is dedicated to improving diversity and championing inclusivity in its community and in the wine industry. Learn more at napavintners.com.
SOURCE The Boca Raton
At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.
Visit our Food & Drink section to get the latest on Foodie News and recipes, offering a delightful blend of culinary inspiration and gastronomic trends to elevate your dining experience.
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Food and Beverage
Papa Johns and Google Cloud Reimagine the Future of Food Ordering to Better Serve Customers
Papa Johns is partnering with Google Cloud to roll out an AI-powered omnichannel ordering system using Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, bringing voice and text ordering to apps, web, phone, kiosks and in-car systems.
american pepperoni pizza with chilli pepper and parmesan cheese
Papa Johns and Google Cloud Reimagine the Future of Food Ordering to Better Serve Customers
Papa Johns is betting big on AI-powered convenience.
At NRF 2026 in New York, the pizza chain announced a major transformation of its digital ordering experience—aimed at delivering faster ordering, improved accuracy, and real-time personalization for its 150 million-plus customers worldwide. The update is powered by Google Cloud’s newly expanded AI solution, the Food Ordering agent, part of Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. The key takeaway: Papa Johns is the first restaurant brand to bring these new omnichannel ordering capabilities to market—moving beyond basic chatbots and into what Google Cloud calls the era of agentic commerce, where AI doesn’t just answer questions, it actively completes tasks and improves outcomes.From chatbot to “agentic” ordering
Food Ordering agent is designed to unify voice and text ordering across the places customers already interact with the brand—without forcing them to repeat themselves or start over when they switch channels. Instead of treating app ordering, phone ordering, kiosks, and in-car systems as separate experiences, the platform supports high-quality voice AI agents across:- Mobile apps
- Websites
- Telephones
- Kiosks
- In-car systems
What Papa Johns is building with Google Cloud
Papa Johns says the new system is designed to make ordering “faster, smarter, and more seamless than ever before.” The company’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Kevin Vasconi, framed it as more than a product refresh.“Papa Johns is a digitally-driven business and, as such, one of our strategic priorities is investing in our technology to deliver a more seamless experience across our assets and owned channels, better connect with our customers, and support greater efficiency across our operations by leveraging data and AI,” Vasconi said. “We’re using Google Cloud’s Food Ordering agent to reimagine what’s possible for our customers. This isn’t just an app update; it’s a fundamental shift in how our customers interact with our brand digitally, making it faster, smarter, and more seamless than ever before.”The new capabilities focus on three areas that tend to create the most friction in food ordering: deals, complex orders, and repeat purchases.
Intelligent Deal Wizard: fewer abandoned carts, more confidence
One of the most common reasons customers abandon carts is uncertainty—Did I pick the best deal? Is there a better promo code? Papa Johns’ Intelligent Deal Wizard is positioned as a personal concierge that automatically applies the best value combinations. The benefit is twofold:- Customers spend less time hunting for discounts
- Papa Johns reduces cart abandonment and builds loyalty through instant value
Advanced Voice & Group Ordering: making complex orders easier
Group orders are where ordering systems often break down: multiple people, multiple changes, special instructions, and constant edits. Papa Johns’ Advanced Voice & Group Ordering is built to capture that revenue without requiring human intervention. By handling natural language nuances and real-time modifications, the system aims to improve order accuracy even when the request is complicated—exactly the kind of scenario where mistakes can lead to refunds, remakes, and lost customers.No-tap reordering for Papa Rewards customers
Pizza ordering is often habitual. Many customers reorder the same items, especially loyal customers. With the new experience, the agent can identify returning Papa Rewards members and proactively ask if they want to reorder their most recent purchase. That no-tap flow matters because it shortens the distance between intent and checkout—turning a routine craving into a completed order in seconds.Why it matters: omnichannel is now the expectation
Google Cloud’s Carrie Tharp, vice president of global solutions and industries, described the shift as a move beyond the chatbot era.“The retail industry is entering the era of agentic commerce, where AI is an engine for business value,” Tharp said. “By being the first to deploy our omnichannel Food Ordering agent, Papa Johns is moving beyond the chatbot era to create a fluid, intelligent experience that meets hungry customers wherever they are, whether they are in their car, on an app, or at a kiosk.”That’s the core point: customers don’t think in channels. They think in outcomes.
- Ordering hands-free while driving
- Reordering in one step from the couch
- Using a kiosk quickly while picking up
What’s next
Papa Johns will showcase the technology at the Google Cloud booth 5507 at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show in NYC, offering live demos to attendees. The company expects to roll out these capabilities to customers nationwide by the end of 2026.About Papa Johns
Papa John’s International, Inc. (Nasdaq: PZZA) opened in 1984 with one goal: BETTER INGREDIENTS. BETTER PIZZA. Papa Johns says it uses high-quality ingredients, including fresh, never frozen original dough made with six ingredients, real mozzarella cheese, and vine-ripened tomato sauce. The company operates more than 6,000 restaurants across approximately 50 countries and territories.About Google Cloud
Google Cloud provides AI, infrastructure, developer, data, security, and collaboration tools, offering an integrated AI stack built on planet-scale infrastructure and custom-built chips. Organizations in more than 200 countries and territories use Google Cloud as a technology partner.Resources
STM Daily News is a vibrant news blog dedicated to sharing the brighter side of human experiences. Emphasizing positive, uplifting stories, the site focuses on delivering inspiring, informative, and well-researched content. With a commitment to accurate, fair, and responsible journalism, STM Daily News aims to foster a community of readers passionate about positive change and engaged in meaningful conversations. Join the movement and explore stories that celebrate the positive impacts shaping our world.
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Food and Beverage
Mix a Little Luck into Your Big Game Menu
Picture this: Your team is down three points, but the taste of victory is just one field goal away. Sometimes, all you need is a little luck and a whole lot of guac. Dip into good fortune this football season with help from this Good Luck Guac recipe.
Mix a Little Luck into Your Big Game Menu
(Family Features) Picture this: Your team is down three points, but the taste of victory is just one field goal away. Sometimes, all you need is a little luck and a whole lot of guac. After all, an estimated 250 million pounds of avocados are consumed during the Big Game each year, according to Hass Avocado Board Volume Data. That’s enough to fill 30 million football helmets with guac – but filling your belly instead is a win-win for good luck and great flavor. Dip into good fortune this football season with help from Avocado From Mexico’s Guac Guru, Rob Riggle, whose visionary Good Luck Guac recipe is ready to share just in time for the Big Game. Whether you’re in it for the football, the commercials or the snacks, this recipe can score major points with your entire crew.
Crafted for fans of every team, this bold, golden twist on a favorite football snack is infused with ingredients associated with good luck – edible gold flakes and pomegranate seeds – to get you through the most nail-biting moments of the game. The star ingredient is fresh, high-quality Avocados From Mexico that offer good taste, good nutrition, and good times. Beyond delicious dips, chips and lots of fun, hosting a watch party can also be a lot of work. Make sure your hosting duties don’t create interference or put you on the sidelines with these tips: Get a jumpstart on party prep. The day before the game, tidy up your space and prepare as much of the food as you can. For dishes best served fresh – like guac – take care of the ingredient prep, like chopping veggies. Create comfortable seating and viewing areas. For a watch party, you’ll want plenty of room for guests to sit comfortably where they can see the screen and have easy access to the guac. If there’s not enough space in the living room to fit everyone, consider bringing a TV to the kitchen so people can snack and watch at the same time. Know your guests. From non-alcoholic beverage options to additional entertainment like board games and kid-friendly activities, become a next-level party host by providing a setup tailored to your guests’ needs. One thing almost everyonecan agree on: Guac made with Avocados From Mexico can be the star of nearly any party’s snacking lineup. Make it your team’s lucky day with more game day recipes at AvocadosFromMexico.com/recipe. 
Good Luck Guac
Recipe courtesy of Rob Riggle on behalf of Avocados From Mexico- 4 Avocados From Mexico, halved, pitted and peeled
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon onion, minced
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch edible gold leaf flakes
- In large bowl, mash avocados until chunky-smooth.
- Fold in lime juice, onion, pomegranate seeds and salt until well combined.
- Garnish with edible gold leaf flakes.
At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.
Visit our Food & Drink section to get the latest on Foodie News and recipes, offering a delightful blend of culinary inspiration and gastronomic trends to elevate your dining experience. https://stmdailynews.com/food-and-drink/
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Food
What Are Comfort Foods—and Why Do We Crave Them?
Comfort foods go beyond taste—they offer emotional reassurance, cultural identity, and nostalgia. Learn why we crave them and how they connect us.
What Are Comfort Foods—and Why Do We Crave Them?
Food & Beverage | The Knowledge Comfort foods are more than just meals—they are emotional touchstones. From a bowl of chicken noodle soup to a plate of mac and cheese, comfort foods provide familiarity, warmth, and reassurance during moments of stress, illness, or nostalgia. While comfort foods vary by culture and personal experience, their purpose is universal: they make us feel grounded, safe, and connected.What Defines Comfort Food?
Although comfort foods differ from person to person, they often share common characteristics:- Familiar and nostalgic – Foods tied to childhood or family traditions
- Warm and filling – Soups, casseroles, stews, and baked dishes
- Emotionally satisfying – Comforting beyond physical hunger
- Rich in carbohydrates or fats – Which can influence mood-regulating chemicals in the brain
The Science Behind Comfort Foods
There is real science behind why comfort foods make us feel better. Carbohydrate-rich foods can increase the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and promote a sense of calm. Warm foods also play a role. Studies suggest that warmth can enhance feelings of safety and emotional comfort, which may explain why soups, stews, and hot meals are commonly craved during stressful times or colder seasons. In short, comfort foods don’t just satisfy hunger—they support emotional well-being.Comfort Foods Are Cultural
Every culture has its own version of comfort food, shaped by tradition, availability, and shared history:- United States: Mac and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes
- Mexico: Tamales, pozole
- Italy: Pasta, lasagna
- Japan: Ramen, curry rice
- India: Dal with rice
Why We Turn to Comfort Foods
People often crave comfort foods during moments of emotional or physical vulnerability, including:- Stress or anxiety
- Illness or fatigue
- Homesickness
- Major life changes
- Celebrations and family gatherings
More Than a Meal
Comfort food isn’t about indulgence or nutrition alone—it’s about connection. These dishes link us to people, places, and moments that shaped us. That’s why comfort foods endure across generations, cultures, and changing trends. Comfort food doesn’t just feed the body. It feeds the moment.Related Reading
- Why We Crave Comfort Foods – Smithsonian Magazine
- Why Comfort Foods Comfort – Psychology Today
- Why Comfort Foods Make Us Feel Better – Harvard Health
- Comfort Food and Cultural Identity – National Geographic
- The Science Behind Comfort Foods – BBC Future
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