Fried chicken. Barbecue. Bourbon. You name it, and if it's Southern, you'll find it at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival.
The overview
This nationally renowned food fest, headquartered at the Loews Atlanta Hotel in Midtown, begins May 28 and will bring thousands to the area to explore the Southern food and beverage traditions of regions spanning from Texas to D.C. Over the course of its five-year history, the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival has grown from 5,800 participants in its first year to just over 9,200 last year.
Credit: Jenny Turknett
Credit: Jenny Turknett
The weekend is designed to introduce new trends, and Dominique Love, one of the festival’s co-founders, says, “We want the guests to have heard it first, seen it first and tasted it first at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival.”
Guests will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of rich culinary events including tasting tents, dinners and over 100 classes led by culinary professionals from across the region. And if you’re able to pony up the cash for a connoisseur-level ticket, you’ll also be treated to premium experiences and the chance to hobnob with the “talent” (aka chefs and presenters).
The programming for the weekend will not only examine our Southern culinary history, it will also introduce attendees to new techniques and ingredients being used by our chefs (for recipes from some of the chefs, go to myajc.com), and provide opportunities to explore the food and beverages of Southern cultures from around the globe. Think Southern Europe, South America, South Africa, the Southern Hemisphere and south-of-the-border in Mexico.
Credit: Jenny Turknett
Credit: Jenny Turknett
New for 2015
Each year, a group of about 80 chefs, sommeliers and mixologists from across the South come together to brainstorm how to dive deeper into our Southern foodways and traditions. According to Love, her office takes “cues from the advisory council to develop the programming.” She says, “We challenge them to talk about what’s at front of mind for them.”
This year, seafood sustainability will continue to be a theme, but the advisory council shines the spotlight on Gulf seafood, trash fish (underloved and underutilized fish) and introducing malicious (or invasive) species onto menus as a means of controlling them.
Wellness will also be a focus this year, with instruction on making Italian fare healthy, eating clean, managing diabetes and the medicinal properties of moonshine.
For beverage enthusiasts, new content will include exploration of African-American cocktail legends, batch drinks, and preparing cocktails for a crowd.
A new partnership with Southern Living, which has participated in the festival in previous years, will bring a unique lineup of events. The magazine will host a documentary screening of “Q — Alabama’s Barbecue Legends,” offer a Southern Living test kitchen re-creation and provide a sneak peek at (and taste of) the winners of its first-ever Food Awards, which will be announced in the June issue.
You’ll also find a new emphasis on Southern tourism, with events and classes designed to entice you to visit South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. Festivalgoers will examine the evolution of farm-to-table fare in Mississippi and be treated to an Alabama barbecue sauce smackdown.
Get a taste
At the time of this writing, some ticket options are still available. Grab a day pass to participate in the classes, which are the
Credit: Jenny Turknett
Credit: Jenny Turknett
backbone of the weekend. Or, as Love suggests, dip your toe in by attending the "Pig Out: Market Style" tailgate event, the festival's annual opening night dinner. Unlike the rest of the festival, it will be held at Ponce City Market, 675 Ponce de Leon Ave., Atlanta ($55, atlfoodandwinefestival.com).
Here’s your chance to explore our region’s rich culinary past, present and future right in our own backyard.
EVENT PREVIEW
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival
When: May 28-31
Where: Headquarters and will call located at Loews Atlanta Hotel, 1065 Peachtree St. N.E.
Ticket options:
Tasting tents: $100 per day
Day pass (includes classes and tasting tents): $185 per day
Three-day pass (May 29-31): $575
Connoisseur day pass: $700 per day
Connoisseur three-day pass (May 29-31): $2,000
Dinner event prices vary, so see website for details.
Website: www.atlfoodandwinefestival.com
Attire: casual and comfortable for outdoor tasting tents on a grassy lot
--by Jenny Turknett for the Food & More blog
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