America's Test Kitchen coming to the Palace!

With all of the drama, heat, and spice it makes sense that one of PBS' hit shows would translate well to the stage. No, we're not talking about Downton Abbey, even spicier - America's Test Kitchen Live! The hit PBS show will take to the Palace Theatre stage on Sunday, April 13 at 3 p.m.


America's Test Kitchen on PBS is one of today's most popular cooking shows on television. Christopher Kimball, Host and founder of the show, will bring you on a one of a kind live, behind-the-scenes experience :of the world of America's Test Kitchen to fans around the country."

Kimball is on a never-ending quest to answer the question, "What is good cooking all about?" Dan Souza from America's Test Kitchen will be joining Chris on stage for demos, tests and more!

As host of America's Test Kitchen for the past 14 seasons, as well as editor of the popular Cooks Illustrated magazine, Christopher Kimball will share his strong and entertaining opinions on culinary trends and cooking equipment. He'll take questions from the audience as well as test their knowledge of unusual ingredients in an interactive segment during the live show. America's Test Kitchen Live with Christopher Kimball will deliver a fun and informative evening for fans and foodies around the country.

Dan Souza is a senior editor of Cook's Illustrated and an on-screen test cook for America's Test Kitchen. In addition to his work on Cook's Illustrated, Dan has contributed content to a dozen America's Test Kitchen cookbooks, most recently executing and editing the test kitchen experiments for The Science of Good Cooking (October 2012). Dan cut his culinary teeth as an apprentice in Hungary before graduating first in his class from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). After cooking in restaurants in New York City and Boston, however, he found his true calling: applying good science to create great recipes for the home cook.

America's Test Kitchen Live will coincide with Downtown Albany 10th Anniversary Restaurant week! A limited number of VIP Tickets are available for $85. The "VIP Ticket" includes:

• Ticket to the show
• Meet & Greet with Christopher Kimball 
• A Copy of Christopher Kimball's book "The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001 - 2014."

Tickets for the show itself will go on sale February 28 at 10 am for $34 and $45, respectively. Tickets can be purchased at the Palace Theatre box office and online.

Taste restaurant recruits talent in the kitchen

Downtown Albany will have a new chef come October, just in time for Downtown Albany's Restaurant Week.

Taste restaurant welcomes Chef Mark Graham, currently a sous chef at Max London's in Saratoga Springs. Graham is working on the Restaurant Week menu now that will be featured during the event, which runs October 19-25. Following, his new menu will debut on October 29.

Restaurant Week is an opportunity for downtown Albany restaurants to showcase their culinary skills while remaining affordable to a wide variety of diners. Each meal must have a value of at least $35.00, but should not be sold for more than $20.13. The event is presented by the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District. Visit their website for more information on Restaurant Week, including theme nights and a list of participating restaurants.

And don't forget to check out Taste's new chef-inspired menu following its debut later next month!