The Southern Breeze Wine & Culinary Festival has signed an exclusive multi-year contract with DCS by Fisher & Paykel, a major U.S. indoor and outdoor appliance manufacturer headquartered in New Zealand, and Chef Tim Creehan, renowned culinary expert, and chef/owner of Beach Walk Crystal Beach in Destin, Fla.

Effective immediately the official name of the event will be the Southern Breeze Wine & Culinary Festival Presented by DCS by Fisher & Paykel.

“We are absolutely thrilled to form a strategic alliance with these two culinary industry leaders,” says J. Gary Ellis, publisher of “Southern Breeze” magazine. “This partnership takes the already successful Southern Breeze Wine & Culinary Festival to the next level and further strengthens the event. The alliance with DCS by Fisher & Paykel and Chef Creehan also creates the perfect complement to all of our burgeoning culinary tourism marketing initiatives.”

The Southern Breeze Wine & Culinary Festival Presented by DCS by Fisher & Paykel marks the beginning of a strategic long-standing alliance, reaching a shared audience of upscale food connoisseurs and home enthusiasts throughout the Southeast U.S. Wine and food are the highlights of this series of weekend-long events that take place in several Southeast/Gulf Coast destinations each year.

The festival includes Winemaker Dinners; a Grand Wine Tasting with boutique wines from around the world; educational wine and food seminars; and a Walkabout Brunch featuring specialties from top local restaurants paired with sparkling wines. All events require tickets and consumers are encouraged to buy them in advance.

Chef Creehan will be a featured celebrity chef for one of the Winemaker Dinners at each festival location, as well as the exclusive chef for the culinary seminars during the Grand Wine Tasting for the entire series of events.

DCS by Fisher & Paykel and Chef Creehan already have a solid partnership. DCS by Fisher & Paykel is also Chef Creehan’s official appliance sponsor, and they worked together to open DCS by Fisher & Paykel Culinary Center in Destin in January 2007.

The 5,000-square-foot facility includes a state-of-the-art DCS by Fisher & Paykel indoor and outdoor appliance showroom. Product research and development for Chef Creehan’s restaurants, cookbooks and patented marinades will be the primary use for the culinary center.

His culinary style and marketing savvy has also evolved into Tim Creehan & Co. to unite his endeavors in Beach Walk Crystal Beach, Beach Walk Redfish Village (Opening Spring ’08), Chef’s Grill Plus and the DCS by Fisher & Paykel Culinary Center.

The fourth annual Southern Breeze Wine & Culinary Festival will take place in Orange Beach, May 18-20; Baton Rouge, La., June 15-17; and Rosemary Beach, Fla., Oct. 19-21.

For more information about festival and to purchase tickets go to www.southernbreeze.com/winefest.

To learn more about DCS by Fisher & Paykel, visit www.dcsappliances.com.

For additional information on Chef Tim Creehan and Beach Walk Crystal Beach, visit www.BeachWalkDestin.com.