Organisers of this year's first Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival say the event is cooking up great interest both overseas and locally.

Ten top chefs from the United States and London will be teaming up with the cream of the Island's cooks for the four-day feast next month, which promoters hope will grow into one of the world's great food and wine festivals.

"We're really pleased with the response for this event in its first year," said Jenn Butterworth of Bermuda-based Total Marketing and Communications, which is handling publicity for the event.

"We've had a lot of interest from the local community as well as from overseas and we are very pleased.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for the culinary and hotel industry in Bermuda to collaborate with these overseas talents and for them to experience the talents here on the Island.

"This is our inaugural event and our aim is to continue this and put it on a par with the New Orleans Food and Wine Festival and the Food and Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen, Colorado."

Sara Moulton, who presents Sarah's Secrets on Food Network Television and is executive chef of Gourmet magazine, is hosting the festival with Michael Green, Gourmet's wine consultant.

The event, which begins on November 1, is being promoted by the Department of Tourism, Gourmet magazine, and the Fairmont Southampton Princess, with Belco as main sponsor.

The cookery demonstrations and wine tastings will be held at the Southampton Princess, but people buying tickets for the main event on Saturday will also be able to the taste mouth-watering creations from the overseas chefs at either Aqua at Ariel Sands, the Seahorse Grill at Elbow Beach, the Rockfish Grill at Newstead, the Fourways Inn, Lillian's at Sonesta Beach, and Tamarisk at Cambridge Beaches.

The chefs are Jody Adams of Rialto (Boston), Jean-Francois Bruel of db bistro moderne (New York), Matthew Harris of Bibendum (London), Guillermo Pernot of Pasion (Philadelphia), Michel Richard of Citronelle (Washington), Walter Royal of the Angus Barn (Raleigh), Michael Schlow of Radius (Boston), Bill Telepan of Judson Grill (New York), and Jeff Tunks of DC Coast (Washington).

So far, 133 people have bought overseas packages, which include flights and accommodation cost for $1,599.

Three day local package costs $450. Residents can also book dinner separately on Saturday night at any of the local restaurants named above where special wines will be selected to accompany the dishes demonstrated earlier in the day.

Tickets for the reception on Friday November 1 hosted by Sarah Moulton at the Southampton Princess cost $75, while Saturday passes are $350. This includes four demonstrations plus dinner and wine at one of the six Island restaurants taking part in the event.

Tickets for Sunday are $150 and include three demonstrations by local chef Fred Ming and two of the overseas chefs.

The festival also includes a contest to find the best fish chowder in Dockyard involving the Frog and Onion, Pirate's Landing, Freeport Grill, and Beethoven's.

Monday will see a breakfast for overseas guests and a charity golf event to raise cash for a Bermudian culinary arts scholarship and for the Windows of Hope charity for families of staff at the Windows on the World restaurant in the World Trade Center killed on September 11.

Tickets, which go on sale on October 14, are only available from BermudaEscapes at 294 4910 or bermudaescapes.com.