SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The first day of Spring marks the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show opening March 20-24^th, 2013 at the San Mateo Event Center.  Now in its 28^th year and the third largest flower and garden show in the U.S., this year's show "Gardens Make the World Go Round" features 18 internationally themed garden designs and an expanded Chef Stage. Top Bay Area celebrity chefs and popular wine experts showcase their creative use of local, organic and sustainable ingredients and offer growing tips and tastes of special garden recipes over the show's five days. Tickets are now on sale online at http://www.sfgardenshow.com.

This year's celebrity Chef Stage roster includes:

• Annie Somerville of Greens Restaurant with Wendy Johnson of Green Gulch Farm exemplify the green food movement and will share delicious organic ingredients and recipes.
• Laurence Jossel & Gonzalo Guzman of Nopalito discuss their use of seasonal produce and sustainably raised meats in their Mexican cuisine.
• Anthony Strong of Locanda Restaurant shows us some of the secrets of the Roman approach to traditional Northern Italian cuisine.
• Nico Vera of www.piscotrail.com presents his perspective on Peruvian food and Pisco cocktails and describes how to source local ingredients.
• Staffan Terje, Chef/Owner, of Perbacco and barbacco restaurants discusses the quality of ingredients and the care needed in marrying Italian cuisine with local and sustainable Bay Area ingredients.
• Leslie Sbrocco, host of "Check Please Bay Area" and author of "Wine for Women" & upcoming "Adventures of a Thirsty Girl," joins Livermore Valley winemaker Steven Mirassou, discussing pairing and sharing wine with a special tasting of wines from the Steven Kent winery portfolio.
• Dennis Lee, Chef/Owner, Namu Gaji Restaurant shares his knowledge of the hot new Korean-American Fusion Cuisine and his commitment to the freshest food possible accessing local farmers markets for organic and sustainable ingredients.                    
• Thy Tran, author, blogger and founder of Wandering Spoon and director of the Asian Culinary Forum demonstrates how to cook with Asian greens while sharing her techniques and secrets in making tasty dishes drawn from Asian history & culture.
• Willi Galloway, radio host of her kitchen gardening advice show and garden-to-table cooking blog and book "Grow. Cook. Eat." reviews how to grow and cook with the bounty from your garden.
• Elianna Friedman, market chef for the Center for Urban Education Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA), talks about "Fresh and Simple: Cooking for the Family" - having fun cooking for all ages and how to get kids interested in eating the right foods.

Admission includes all seminars, workshops and demonstrations. For photos, tickets and information, visit www.sfgardenshow.com or call 888-695-0888.

Ages 16 & Under FREE
$16 Early Bird Adult Day Pass until March 10^th
$20 Single Adult Day Pass after March 10th
$30 All Show 5-day Pass

SOURCE San Francisco Flower & Garden Show