DURHAM - Dale Ray, his short blond hair spiked, looked part-bouncer, part-chef in a navy blue apron and sleeveless T-shirt that showed off bulging biceps.

"I apologize for the dress, but it's a little hot today," Ray told a crowd gathered for a demonstration on cooking condiments at Saturday's Taste of Durham festival. For foodies, the festival offered a chance not only to sample some of Durham's finest fare but to learn from the likes of Ray how to bring those tastes to their own kitchen.

Ray is the director of food and beverages for Giorgios Hospitality Group, which runs restaurants Vin Rouge, Parizade and George's Garage, among others. Wind whooshed past the microphone clipped to his apron as he whisked orange and carrot juice in a metal bowl while preparing a sauce for seafood. It blew towels off the counter and extinguished the flame on a gas burner where Ray tried to reduce his sauce. It wasn't quite the magic of television, but spectators were impressed.

"It's just like being at the Food Network," said Chris Anton, who was visiting the Triangle for the weekend with his wife, Jenny.

At the festival, which spanned Peabody Place and Brightleaf Square, the aroma of barbecued ribs filled the air as attendees checked out the offerings from some of Durham's best restaurants: bison pot roast with garlic mashed potatoes, shrimp and grits, filet mignon with bacon, chicken wings and key lime tarts.

Families clapped to beach music, couples danced to salsa and kids followed 12-foot-high puppets and a jazz quintet leading a Mardi Gras-style procession. Organizer Kimberly Ruskan said late Saturday afternoon that she expected as many as 15,000 people to come through the gates by the festival's close at 8 p.m.

The kitchenette at Brightleaf Square where Ray made condiments was designed to mimic those on the Food Network.

The roughly 10-foot counter had a built-in cutting board and angled mirror that allowed spectators a bird's-eye view of the action on the countertop. For recipes needing a little heat, a giant stainless-steel gas grill with two burners and a rotisserie sat just off to the chef's right.

Cooking demonstrations have long been staples of home economics classes and morning news shows, but cooking as a spectator event has boomed with the rise of shows such as the "Iron Chef" cooking competition and Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals."

'Delicious' recipe

Damion Moore, executive chef and owner of Blue Mountain Catering, walked the audience through preparation of ceviche, a Latin American dish of seafood marinated in fruit juices, with help from sous chef Qianna English.

Moore sprinkled his step-by-step with pointers on buying seafood (pick fish with no aroma) and choosing kitchenware (use glass bowls, some metal bowls can leave a metallic taste). Though the dish took about 10 minutes to prepare, it needed to be refrigerated for about six hours, so spectators sampled some pre-made ceviche.



"It's actually delicious," said Cheryl Maloney of Durham. "I'm going to try a shrimp one for Memorial Day."

Sara and Carl Burgardt of Durham said they thought the recipe looked doable. "I think for so long Americans were so stuck on easy preparation," Sara Burgardt said. "I think people are intimidated by some of the gourmet recipes. This shows you it's not that hard."