Festival after festival has been canceled or altered this year due to the pandemic. It’s no different for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, now in its 10th year.
The annual event that celebrates Southern food and beverage traditions and spotlights talented culinarians from around the Southeast was originally slated for May 28-31. Festival founder Elizabeth Feichter announced in late March that it would be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Ultimately, the festival as Atlanta is accustomed to it — tasting tents, classroom setting seminars and lavish fetes — was called off, replaced by a reimagined event with digital seminars and socially distanced dining events occurring Sept. 10-19.
“We postponed it, trying to buy ourselves some time,” said Brett Friedman, CEO of Agency 21 Consulting, the firm that came aboard late last year to produce the event. “Sadly, this virus just hasn’t gone away.”
Credit: handout
Credit: handout
The format they ultimately settled on includes a mix of virtual events called AF&WF At Home Edition Presented by Publix, as well as 11 dinners, two lunches and one brunch, all with limited, socially distanced seating. The event runs 10 days, in homage to the festival’s 10-year anniversary.
All ticket sales from the digital seminars, each priced at $10, benefit the person teaching the class; 70% of ticket sales from in-person chef experiences go to the participating restaurants.
“It’s the only thing we can comfortably do in a safe manner and still stay relevant, represent our identity and support restaurants. This was the most creative way to execute these events and get money back into the restaurants’ hands,” Friedman said.
In-person events will be held Sept. 10-13. Participating restaurants include Buttermilk Kitchen, Aziza, Tiny Lou’s, Char Korean Bar & Grill, Lazy Betty, Pig and the Pearl, Aix, Lyla Lila, the Iberian Pig Buckhead, South Main Kitchen, Empire State South, Southern Belle and Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours. Tickets remain for most on-premises dining events and cost between $95-$200 per person. Attendees must be 21 or older. All venues will be adhering to state and local guidelines regarding COVID-19 safety.
This year’s festival sees plenty of returning faces, including Deborah VanTrece of Twisted Soul and John Castellucci of the Iberian Pig, as well as first-time participants like Ron Hsu of Lazy Betty.
Credit: MICHAEL PISARRI
Credit: MICHAEL PISARRI
Although Atlanta is the host city for the festival, the event celebrates the South, and attracts talent from throughout the region. The virtual component allows that tradition to continue. “We wanted to make sure we could engage with our out-of-town talent — a mix of chefs from Florida to New Orleans to Texas,” Friedman said.
Out-of-state participants for virtual sessions include Erik Bruner-Yang of Maketto in Washington, D.C.; Isaac Toups, the chef-owner of Toups Meatery in New Orleans; Timon Balloo of Balloo Restaurant and Sugarcane Raw Bar & Grill in Miami, and James Kerwin of the Little Fib in Nashville, among others. They, along with local names like chef Nick Leahy of Aix, beverage pro Kellie Thorn of Empire State South, Lauren Bolden of Pie Bar in Woodstock, and chef and cookbook writer Virginia Willis, will engage with festivalgoers via Zoom. Classes range from pickling to baking to upping your curry or pierogi cooking game as well as some beverage-themed seminars. (Full disclosure: I will be moderating sessions with Willis and Leahy.)
Credit: JASON HOLLAND PHOTOGRAPHY
Credit: JASON HOLLAND PHOTOGRAPHY
Friedman noted that the virtual program facilitates not just the inclusion of culinarians from out of town, but anyone who is confined at home during the pandemic. “There is a certain segment that doesn’t leave the house,” he said. Through online seminars, these individuals can feel like they are “a part of the community and supporting the community without leaving the home.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
“I think it’s a wise decision,” said Willis, who will teach a peanut-focused cooking class with sixth-generation Georgia peanut farmer Casey Cox on Sept. 14. “The situation with corona is still very frightening. If it were a public event, I would not be participating. I applaud the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival for making an effort to continue the tradition, but with this new lens that we have to look at things.”
EVENT PREVIEW
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. Sept. 10-19. Chef experiences range from $95-$200 per person. Must be 21 or older. Virtual seminars are $10. Purchase tickets online. atlantafoodandwinefestival.com.
Registered guests for the Virginia Willis-Casey Cox “Get Nutty” seminar will be entered to win a signed copy of Willis’ “Secrets of the Southern Table” and a peanut-themed gift basket that includes a $50 Publix gift card.
For a chance to win tickets to select virtual seminars, enter an Instagram giveaway. Visit @ajcdining on Instagram for details and to submit your name. Winners will be notified Sept. 8.
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
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