food and wineFootball will meet food at this year’s wine & food festival in the name of Joe Namath and Mario Batali.

The Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE has a packed roster of events planned for the 2013 Festival and continues its long-standing tradition of designing unique lifestyle opportunities that appeal to everyone’s taste buds with the creation of Jets + Chefs: The Ultimate Tailgate presented by diet pepsi hosted by Joe Namath and Mario Batali. The festival will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, at New York City’s Pier 92.

Batali, the renowned chef, restaurateur and cookbook author, will give his chef’s coat a rest and don his treasured green and white gear to team up with Namath, the NFL legend, Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer, to host a day of grilling demonstrations, ramped-up tailgate fare, interactive fan-fanatic activities for the whole family and more.

Like all Festival events, proceeds benefit Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.

“This event is the amalgamation of all of the things that I love — grilling, tailgating and football,” said Batali. “I couldn’t be more excited to bring Benno and Leo to hang with Joe Namath and eat food cooked by some of my favorites.”

The event will bring together more than 20 celebrated chefs and former New York Jets stars for a new type of gridiron classic that welcomes fans of any age. In addition to chefs offering samplings of amped-up gameday cuisine, fans can enjoy culinary demonstrations from Batali, alongside sons Benno and Leo Batali, as well as Rocco DiSpirito and Andrew Zimmen.

This year’s festival is packed with a variety of events featuring your favorite celebrity chefs. Find out more:
Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE