Lettuce Days to feature celebrity chefs Ford and Duey

Celebrity chefs Ben Ford and Ray Duey will demonstrate their skills during the 2013 Yuma Lettuce Days in March. The annual gathering celebrates Yuma's status as the nation's winter vegetable capital. Yuma's multi-billion dollar agricultural industry supplies more than 90 percent of the nation's leafy vegetables during the winter months.

Ford, the executive chef and owner of Ford's Filling Station in Culver City, Calif., is an advocate for organic foods, and is known for using locally grown ingredients to create his cuisine. As an urban forager, Ford frequently finds his own ingredients in public areas surrounding the restaurant and his home.

He will continue that tradition by using ingredients grown in the Yuma area during cooking demonstrations to teach the attendees how to prepare dishes using locally available fare.

“We're excited to introduce Ben Ford to Yuma and to see what he will be inspired to create from our amazing agricultural bounty,” said Linda Jordan, executive director of Yuma Visitors Bureau, which organizes Lettuce Days.

“From his appearances on ‘Iron Chef America,' ‘The Today Show,' ‘Martha Stewart,' ‘After Hours with Daniel Boulud,' ‘Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution,' ‘Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern,' ‘Supper Club with Tom Bergeron', and ‘The Food Network Sandwich Challenge,' we know he brings a lot of energy to his appearances and will be a real crowd pleaser.”

Ford will do live cooking demonstrations and offer tastes to those in the audience at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. March 9 and 10.

Celebrity Chef Ray Duey, a master culinary artist, will also appear at the 2013 Lettuce Days to demonstrate his artisan abilities to carve fruits and vegetables into intricate works of art.

Duey, a certified executive chef and member of ACF California Capital Chefs Association, has received numerous awards in national and international competitions, including on the Food Network.

Also attending the 2013 Lettuce Days will be radio personalities Bob and Sheri, whose North Carolina-based show is syndicated nationwide. They will participate in tasting and recipe judging and speak with their fans. The Bob and Sheri show is broadcast during weekday mornings on STAR 100.9 FM.

For more information about the 2013 Lettuce Days, log onto http://www.yumalettucedays.com/ or call 1-800-293-0071.

Fun Fact:

Chef Ben Ford is the son of actor Harrison Ford, who came to Yuma 30 years ago — in the spring of 1982 — while filming “Return of the Jedi” in the Imperial Sand Dunes. Ben Ford will be in Yuma, along with Chef Ray Duey, March 9 and 10 for Lettuce Days.