RELISH THE OPPORTUNITY: Cooking Show & Expo will celebrate the culinary lifestyle (with RECIPE CONTEST)

SANDESTIN — Casual cooks, hard-core “foodies” and everyone in between will find something of interest at the area’s inaugural Relish Cooking Show & Expo 2011.

Scheduled for March 10 at the Baytowne Conference Center, local and national vendors will share and display their products.

“We want to make this a lifestyle expo, so it’s not just about recipes,” said Michelle MacLeod, marketing director for the Northwest Florida Daily News.

The Daily News serves as one of the event’s sponsors, partnering with Relish magazine, the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, The Destin Log, Walton Sun, Crestview News Bulletin, Santa Rosa Press Gazette and radio station Highway 98.1.

While the vendors add one dimension to the show, the focus is a two-hour cooking presentation by Relish magazine celebrity chef Jon Ashton.

Want to learn more or order tickets? Click here.

Relish magazine is distributed monthly in the Destin Log and its sister newspapers. It offers tips, recipes and tools of the trade for everyone from the experienced to novice chef.

Through Ashton’s presentation, the event comes together to create a high-energy evening.

“He’s very interactive with the audience. He has high-quality recipes,” MacLeod said. “But he definitely likes to keep it on a fun, simpler basis.”

Ashton’s cooking techniques are easy to follow, MacLeod said, and people of all cooking skills can learn from his show.

Because Ashton is dedicated to healthful cuisine, he and Relish will be taking a program to two local schools.

The expo begins with the vendors displaying products revolving around the kitchen — and beyond. Access to the booths will be free from 3 to 6 p.m. After 6, a ticket will provide access to the vendors and to Ashton’s show.

Only 1,000 tickets are available. MacLeod said that the initial sales have been strong, and early purchase is the best guarantee for obtaining a ticket. The evening will also come with door prizes and two grand prizes.

The setting of the Baytowne Conference Center adds to the atmosphere. Once the cooking show begins, it will be projected on large screens to ensure everyone in the audience can see what is prepared and how it is prepared.

For those who desire a more one-on-one interaction with Ashton, tickets are offered for a VIP reception that begins at 5:30 p.m.

“Jon prepares all the food that people will eat and there’ll be wine. It’s a very intimate setting with Jon Ashton,” MacLeod said.

The Relish Cooking Show & Expo, which travels around the nation, has something for everyone, which makes the event fun and informative, MacLeod said.

“We all cook in some way, shape or form,” she said.

Vendor space is still available. Local restaurateurs, culinary specialists and other lifestyle vendors may reserve spots by contacting the Destin Log Advertising Department at 850-654-8488.

General tickets are $15. VIP tickets are $45. For ticket information, call MacLeod at 315-4371.

JON ASHTON'S BIO

Jon Ashton began his story in the cold, gray port city of Liverpool, which earned its spot on the world map thanks to the Beatles. As a young lad, he learned about the joy of cooking through his grandmother's warm, cottage kitchen. Creating recipes with Granny Ashton opened the door to home economic classes at school where Jon became further intrigued by the art. Although schoolmates bullied him for being one of the few boys in class, he persisted and quickly realized cooking was his passion.

In 1994 Jon graduated from St. Helens College in Great Britain and worked in several noted restaurants including the Derby Lodge Hotel's French restaurant and as Sous Chef at The Kirkfield Hotel's restaurant. Jon's success and flair in the kitchen soon gave way to appearances on British cooking shows including the nationally syndicated "TV Dinners" where audiences fell in love with his wit, charisma and genuine love of food. Soon, America discovered him and Jon was featured in publications from New York to California. America was calling and Jon knew he had to answer. So, with $2,000 in his pocket he left everything he knew and traveled to America, eventually landing in Florida.

Jon quickly began producing and starring in his own local access TV show, which aired in Disney's town of Celebration. Soon after, Jon took a position as the regular mid-day chef at Orlando's FOX affiliate station and found himself appearing on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" a short year later. His telegenic persona earns regular appearances on the “TODAY Show". He is currently the food correspondent of the nationally syndicated Morning Show “The Daily Buzz”, seen in over 160 stations. He is also the executive Chef for Relish Magazine, each month Jon's simple and seasonal recipes inspire 62 million readers. That’s more than 1.5 million more hungry mouths than Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Cooking with Paula Deen, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Taste of Home and Food & Wine combined! Jon can also be seen on ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX affiliates across the nation as he travels doing media tours and presentations.

No matter what Jon does he remembers his grandmother's wise words; to share with others. Jon loves working with kids and is committed to improving the eating choices of young people in America. As an obese child himself, he fully understands the struggles and challenges of being overweight. In 2009 alone, Jon had the opportunity to impact the lives of 50,000 children across the nation. It's his way of thanking America for opening their doors to him.

Jon has had the honor of working with many A-list celebrities and culinary icons including, Vince Vaughn, Seth Green, Andy Garcia, Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, Emeril Lagasse, Martha Stewart and Giada De Laurentis, to name a handful.

^{— courtesy of jonashton.com}