Celebrity Chefs Tour Simon Malls

Simon Property Group is going back for second helpings on its tour of celebrity chefs.

Chefs drew crowds last year

This month Simon begins its second "Simon Super Chefs Live!" tour with appearances by seven chefs at Simon malls in 21 markets, and five brand sponsors, up from two sponsors last year. Jacob's Creek Wines returns (but not appliance maker Oster); new sponsors are Bertolli, Dasani, KitchenAid and Waldenbooks. The tour runs until August.

The chefs—Food Network's Alton Brown, Sara Moulton and Nathalie Dupree; PBS's Mary Ann Esposito, Jacques Pepin and daughter Claudine Pepin; and renowned chef Martin Yan—give cooking demos and sign autographs. A "Simon Super Chefs Live! Cookoff" lets audience members work as sous chefs assisting celeb chefs for an on-stage cookoff challenge.

Local chefs give demos, too, alongside wine seminars, food and beverage sampling and sponsor pavilions. Jacob's Creek (a division of Pernod Ricard USA) will sample Australian red and white wines. Unilever's Bertolli will sample its new Bertolli Frozen Dinner for Two. Coca-Cola's Dasani will sample lemon and raspberry-flavored bottled water. KitchenAid will demo its Pasta Roller kit at some stops, and Waldenbooks will sell featured chefs' cookbooks at 18 malls where it has shops (other booksellers handle sales in the rest of the malls).

Culinary Entertainment Group, New York City, and producer Entertainment Design Group, Atlanta, handle the tour for Simon's marketing arm, Indianapolis-based Simon Brand Ventures. The tour targets women ages 35 to 45 but appeals to foodies of all kinds.

"Simon Super Chefs Live! has shown to have extremely broad appeal among all people who view food as entertainment," said Simon CMO Stewart Stockdale in a statement.

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