Food fanatics, get your Tivos ready! This fall Kitchen Stadium will once again open up its doors to find a new culinary warrior in the ever popular primetime Food Network series "The Next Iron Chef." Announced Thursday, the new season will premiere on Sunday, October 4 at 9pm ET/PT, and will challenge ten top chefs from around the country in a series of demanding situations, putting their culinary skills and mental toughness to the test.

The ten contestants for the upcoming season include:

• Nate Appleman (Chef/Butcher, New York, NY)
• Dominique Crenn (Chef de Cuisine, Luce at InterContinental San Francisco, San Francisco, CA)
• Brad Farmerie (Executive Chef, Double Crown, Madam Geneva, PUBLIC and The Monday Room, New York, NY)
• Amanda Freitag (Executive Chef, The Harrison, New York, NY)
• Jose Garces (Executive Chef & Owner, Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa, Philadelphia, PA)
• Eric Greenspan (Executive Chef & Owner, The Foundry on Melrose, Los Angeles, CA)
• Jehangir Mehta (Executive Chef & Owner, Graffiti, New York, NY)
• Seamus Mullen (Executive Chef & Partner, Boqueria Flatiron and Boqueria Soho, New York, NY)

The Fabulous Food Show was held at the I-X Center this past weekend, November 14-16. This annual culinary event hosted several popular celebrity chefs, as well as over 150 different food exhibitors. There were many free samples being handed out, and also a wine a beer tasting event.

One of the celebrity chefs, Curtis Stone, put on live demonstration of his cooking talents. It was very entertaining, keeping the entire crowd involved throughout the feature, and even allowed several people from the audience to go onstage and help. The atmosphere and crowd involvement helped to form this show which was definitely not the typical culinary performance.

The exhibitors had many booths set up in aisles that ran throughout the I-X Center. Some local companies and many others more widespread were lined up together to show and sample their product to the visitors.

Bubba's Bar-B-Q & Catering is a local, and world famous restaurant named for Al "Bubba" Baker, , the former Cleveland Brown. This bbq featured samples of their food and handed out pamphlets for the restaurant which included a menu and the location of the establishment.

Epicureans, foodies and chefs alike will converge on Cleveland next week for the third annual Fabulous Food Show to be held at the I-X Center. Popular celebrity chefs will take the stage throughout the weekend and include Paula Deen, Bobby Deen, Guy Fieri, Curtis Stone, and Michael Symon. Serving as emcee of the event is Chef Jason Roberts, who's coming all the way from New Zealand.

The Fabulous Food Show is the largest show of its kind in the Midwest, with approximately 30,000 foodies expected to attend. Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster, and the event runs November 14 through November 16.

The Main Kitchen Theatre, which seats 2,500, will allow guests to experience numerous daily demonstrations filled with numerous cooking tips and presentations. A new feature at the Main Kitchen Theatre this year is the inaugural Sub-Zero/Wolf Best Sous-Chef competition, where the two sous-chef finalists will compete for the distinguished title.

The Culinary Celebration Theatre, which seats 400, will feature tons of new talent in the culinary world. Andrew Carmellini, named Best New Chef by Food & Wine Magazinein 2000 and Best Chef in New York City in 2002 and 2004, will be at the Theatre on Friday. He is originally from Seven Hills.

Sick of the potato chips, cookies, cola, and candy bars found in your standard vending machine? Your prayers for more food choices on the go may soon be answered. Last week at the National Automatic Merchandising Association's expo at the McCormick Place in Chicago a variety of new vending machines featuring healthier food alternatives and a wider selection of food took the stage.

If you're on a diet, you might avoid the vending machines altogether, knowing the sugary sweets and fattening snacks that they typically house. But Kraft Foods now has a special vending machine that's slowing popping up around the country that has the diet and weight-conscious in mind. Kraft is now pushing the popular South Beach Diet brand with the intorduction of South Beach Diet-branded machines stocked with only foods that are compliant with the program. Those snacks include Breakstone's low-fat cottage cheese, Jell-O sugar free gelatin snacks, Planters nuts, Nabisco Wheat Thins, Crystal Light drinks, and South Beach Diet lunch wraps. Several of these machines were placed in Florida last month, and if successful, could soon be spreading out across the country.

Other interesting innovations include a vending machine that dispenses grilled hot dogs and sausages "snuggled in soft, warm buns", and an internet connected machine that will allow parents to log-on and limit the number of snacks their children can buy.

One company is also implementing a feature that would allow you to pay for your vending machine purchases with up to a $20 bill, and receive your change in dollar bills (instead of handfuls of change). Credit and debit card payment capabilities are also expected to further expand to more vending machines.

With fall upon us, people who love the warmer weather are lamenting the cooling of the seasons here in Cleveland. How can you beat the inevitable cool down? An exotic escape of course.

The Caribbean island of Barbados is having their annual Taste of Barbados Thursday, October 11th through Sunday, October 14th. Among the events are wine tasting, rum tours, beach barbecues, chef seminars, sugar plantation tours, and of course indulging in your favorite foods.

"We would like to open the eyes of travelers so they consider Barbados as the number one culinary island. We really own this market in the Caribbean. With the success of last years 'Taste of Barbados' festival, we hope visitors will return to the island to enjoy this truly unforgettable experience", said Richard Williams, Vice President, The Americas.

Exotic traveling does come at a cost, of course.

Here are the pricing details on the event:

Food lovers unite! Cleveland's IX Center will play host to the 'Fabulous Food Show' from November 9-11. Here is the information on the event from their website:

See live daily demonstrations in the Main Kitchen Theatre or Culinary Celebration Theatre by popular celebrity chefs and even get their autograph in the Celebrity Book Signing Pavilion! Relax along the I-X Pavilion or in the International Bar and watch all the action LIVE from the Main Kitchen Theatre on large video screens!

Sample assorted products and services from more than 200 exhibitors in The Market Place. Visit Taste of the Neighborhood Stage featuring the culinary exploits of Cleveland’s top chefs. STAY ALL DAY - the free Shop & Drop service allows you to enjoy the event 'hands free' but ensures you won't go home 'empty handed'.

A vast array of wines, spirits and specialty beers are available for sampling in the Grand Tasting Pavilion and FREE ongoing informative daily seminars take place in the Cleveland Wine School – Wine Theatre. After sampling, head over to the The Wine Cellar to pick up a bottle or two of your new favorites at State minimum prices.

Indulge in The Chocolate Bar, an intoxicating dessert pavilion of cakes, cookies, confections and chocolate fondue fountains.