Tickets are now on sale for the 5th Anniversary of the New York Wine & Food Festival  (Oct 11-14, 2012), and the proceeds benefit anti-hunger charities Food Bank for New York City  and Share our Strength. This year they’re expanding to new locations throughout NYC and have an all-star lineup of culinary luminaries.

Some of the weekend’s highlights include:

” ¢ On The Chopping Block: A Roast of Anthony Bourdain: We all know Anthony Bourdain can dish it, but can he take it? The event will feature a roster of comedians and famous chefs, hosted by Mario Batali.
” ¢ Shake & Bake is the festival’s fried chicken showcase where renowned chefs present their twists on the classic dish, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, Art Smith and special guest DJ Questlove.
” ¢ Food Network’s Next Iron Chef, the excitement of Food Network’s hit competition show comes to life with host Alton Brown during this late night tasting competition.
” ¢ Meatball Madness hosted by Giada De Laurentiis is the returning festival staple. The walk-around tasting event will present unique takes, modern interpretations, as well as traditional meatball recipes from a mix of NYC chefs like Michael Anthony (Gramercy Tavern), Donatella Arpaia (Donatella), Michael Chernow (The Meatball Shop), Missy Robbins (A Voce) and more.
” ¢ Tacos and Tequila hosted by Bobby Flay showcases the handheld Mexican masterpiece —the taco along with its most famous counterpart.
” ¢ The International Culinary Center Master Classes and Dinner Series a variety of special classes, pairings and dinners such as Happy Hour with Dave Arnold & Wylie Dufresne; Korean BBQ with Roy Choi and Mark Oldman; Porchetta Sandwich seminar with Sara Jenkins & Anthony Giglio; Torrisi Family Dinner with Torrisi and Parm with Ray Isle and dinner series with Nathan Myhrvold; Tyler Florence and Charles Phan of Slanted Door

More information and tickets at  www.nycwff.org