Spend Labor Day weekend in Yountville with Thomas Keller.

If you’re serious about food, you probably know all about Yountville, the tiny Napa valley town with some of the country’s best restaurants.  Three of these -- The French Laundry, Bouchon, and Ad Hoc -- are the domain of Thomas Keller, named the Best Chef in America in 1997.

When The French Laundry won three Michelin stars in 2006, Keller became the only American chef to have two restaurants with three stars.  The other is Per Se in New York.  Always fresh and imaginative, Keller’s cooking never fails to amaze.  And 60 lucky American Express cardholders can spend Labor Day weekend with Keller, eating his incredible food and learning technique directly from him.

Santa Barbara food and wine festivals.

The Central Coast of California produces some great wine.  And during the summer, there are wonderful festivals where you can taste dozens of wines, accompanied by food from top area restaurants and catering companies.

Santa Barbara, which is one of the most beautiful cities anywhere, has two excellent wine festivals coming up.

The first is the Santa Barbara Wine Festival which takes place this year on June 26.  Located at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History near the old Santa Barbara Mission, the festival helps to fund exhibits and educational programs at the museum.

Paris bakeries compete for best baguette award. And the winner is…

Parisians like to bestow awards, particularly in endeavors they take seriously.  And they take nothing more seriously than the baguette, that crispy, chewy baton of perfection we all know and love.

The Grand Prix de la Baguette de la Ville de Paris is a hotly contested competition with more than 150 contestants.  For some bakeries, the prize is a one-way ticket from obscurity to celebrity.  Last year’s winner, Le Grenier de Felix, was not well known outside the 15^th arrondissement, where it is located.