For the fifth year running, food lovers can sip and savor at the Asheville Wine & Food Festival, held August 22-24. A gastronomic mecca in the midst of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville’s local-centric culture offers the backdrop for a burgeoning food and drink scene that continues to receive national recognition.
Ticketed events throughout the weekend highlight the area’s
top chefs, artisan food producers, craft brewers, as well as the finest
regional and international wines. A prevailing farm-to-festival vibe gives
visitors the chance to support and appreciate where (and who) the food comes
from. In between signature events, festivalgoers will have the chance to
experience the culinary landscape through a mélange ticketed dinners.
The New York Post
calls the Asheville Wine & Food Festival one of the “8 Tasty Festivals” in
the country that’s all about the food, and The
Atlanta Journal-Constitution named it one of the “10 Southern Festivals You
Need to Taste.”
The three-day culinary celebration features three signature
events:
ELIXIR. (NEW!)
Formerly a featured event at the
Grand Tasting, this high-spirited bartenders’ brawl has grown into its own
affair. Inspect and imbibe as the best local mixologists go up against each
other to see who can create the most inspired (and delicious) craft cocktail
using regionally and nationally produced spirits.
Thursday, August 22, 6-8 p.m., at
The Venue, 21 N. Market Street. Tickets: $45.
SWEET.
Prepare
for delicious decadence with a smorgasbord of luscious desserts and confections,
sparkling and dessert wines, and specialty cocktails and spirits. The cherry on
top: a chocolate competition featuring edible works of art from top local bakers
and pastry chefs.
Friday,
August 23, 7:30-10 p.m. at The Grove Arcade, 1 Page Avenue. Tickets: $45.
GRAND TASTING.
The weekend’s main event brings the best of Asheville’s
epicurean scene under one roof. Festivalgoers will get a true taste of the
Asheville culinary experience through cooking demonstrations, regional, national, and
international wines, cuisine from exceptional local restaurants, craft beer and
spirits, an amateur
winemaker competition, and samples of small-batch specialty products. This year’s
WNC Chefs Challenge finale, held during the Grand Tasting, pits the two
remaining contestants in an Iron Chef-style
“food fight” as they compete for the title of Best Chef in WNC.
Saturday, August 24 at the U.S. Cellular Center, 87 Haywood
Street. $55 general admission, 1-5 p.m.; $75 VIP, 12-5 p.m. VIPs receive early
admission to the Festival and access to the VIP lounge, a gourmet salon of
exclusive bites, sips and entertainment.
Purchase tickets and learn more at ashevillewineandfood.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment