Biker Billy Cooks with Fire at Sonomafest
JPEG IMAGE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST Contact: John Cardinale Sears Point Raceway (707) 938-8448 X107 MEDIA OPPORTUNITY Chef "Biker Billy" Cooks With Fire at Cycle Gear Sonomafest 2002 SONOMA, Calif. (IMMEDIATE RELEASE) - It might be an understatement to say Bill Hufnagle doesn't fit the mold of the typical chef you might see on television. Maybe it's the long scruffy beard and dark sunglasses he never takes off. Maybe it's the tattoos or black leather jacket that features flames on the sleeves. Or, maybe it's the roar of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle as he blasts onto the television set. Hufnagle isn't your typical cook, but he's certainly found his niche in this world, and he's gaining momentum. Hufnagle hosts a nationally syndicated television show called "Biker Billy Cooks With Fire" that reaches more than 10 million viewers weekly, and he is the author of two cookbooks: "Biker Billy Cooks With Fire" and "Biker Billy Freeway-A-Fire." Hufnagle will certainly be one of the main attractions at Sears Point Raceway during Cycle Gear Sonomafest 2002, a 10-day bonanza for motorcycle enthusiasts, April 26-May 5. Hufnagle will host several cooking demonstrations during the first weekend of Sonomafest, AMA Vintage Motorcycles Days West, April 26-28. Sonomafest was co-founded by Sears Point Raceway and Cycle World magazine. "I've ridden up the whole coast in California but I've never been to Sears Point Raceway," said Hufnagle, a native of the Bronx in New York. "I'm looking forward to burning up the pavement and burning up the taste buds of the people there. I'll be using a lot of hot peppers." Hot peppers are Hufnagle's specialty. He uses them for dishes like "French Bread Pizza from Hell" and "Lucifer's Angel Pasta." His work with peppers is so renown that the W. Atlee Burpee Seed Company honored him by naming a hot hybrid Jalapeno after him. He is the only biker in the world with a plant named after him: "Biker Billy Jalapeno." Hufnagle, 46, began his passion for cooking as a college freshman on the East Coast. Being a strict vegetarian, he found it difficult to find meals on campus that did not contain meat. "There was nothing that I could eat in college so I had to cook if I wanted to eat," Hufnagle said. "I'm self-taught. I've never been to culinary school or anything like that. No fancy French academies for me." And as far as his affinity for hot peppers? "I came to the peppers after getting bored with other things," he said. "I streamed out one day with peppers and haven't stopped. I used to think it was crazy to have peppers on pizza but now I can't think of eating one without them. I'll never get bored with peppers." In addition to cooking, Hufnagle has also been riding motorcycles since he was 30 years old, his favorite being a Harley-Davidson. He has combined his two passions into a career that has included spots on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Good Morning America" and stories in mainstream publications like "Vanity Fair." For more information on Hufnagle visit www.bikerbilly.com. FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH HUFNAGLE, PLEASE CONTACT JOHN CARDINALE AT 707-938-8448, XT. 107 OR E-MAIL AT JCARDINALE@SEARSPOINT.COM ###