Memphis’ premiere food and wine celebration, The Memphis Food & Wine Festival, pledges to once again delight the palates of Memphians when it returns for its fifth iteration at the Radians Amphitheater at the Memphis Botanic Garden on Saturday October 15, 2022 from 6pm – 10pm.
The Memphis Food & Wine Festival offers a luxurious evening under the stars, where patrons interact face-to-face with leading chefs and vintners from across the nation, taste once in a lifetime servings of food designed for this specific event, sample more than 100 curated wines, and do it all with a great Memphis groove.
The festival offers a collaboration between dozens of the best winemakers from around the world and celebrated chefs ranging from the local and familiar to the internationally renowned.
“We curate the wines to be accessible and affordable while being highly reviewed and respected from some of the most esteemed vineyards in the world,” stated festival president David Benson of Southern Glazer Wines and Spirits. “Patrons will not only see names they recognize like Silver Oak, Twomey, Rockmere and Copper Cane, but they will also have the chance to be introduced to new producers who are changing the landscape of American wines.”
The culinary side will be anchored by host chef co-chairs Wally Joe of Acre Restaurant and Jose Gutierrez of River Oaks who have once again assembled a mind-boggling array of restauranteurs, Master Chefs, engaging personalities, and more amazing food than one person can sample. Say Chef Gutierrez, “If you decided to speak to no one and simply move as efficiently as possible from booth to booth, there is no way one person could possible sample everything at this festival. And who would try? The conversations with chefs, vintners and guests are as much a highlight as the food and wine!”
The festival will make a leap beyond food and wine for the first time in 2022, introducing the Trust Your Spirit Benefit event, hosted by Wild Turkey Distilling Co. National Ambassador Bruce Russell. The event features a cocktail welcome reception, an evening of spirits education, guided tour of curated whiskeys from the iconic Wild Turkey Distilling Co. paired with delectable bites from Chef Valarie Hall and legendary tales with Bruce Russell, grandson of Master Distiller Jimmy Russell – the Buddha of Bourbon and son of the renowned Master Distiller Eddie Russell. This separately ticketed event is open to the public and is scheduled for Thursday October 13 at Ridgeway Country Club.
Since its inaugural event in 2016, the Memphis Food & Wine Festival has donated over $375,000 to local charities. This year the festival has announced a new charitable focus, with the primary beneficiary for 2022 being the Mid-South Food Bank. “Food insecurity is a real issue in our community,” stated chairman Benson. “Our board thought it was important to align
our celebration of great food with an entity that helps meet the basic food needs of people in our community who need that boost.” Food Bank CEO Cathy Pope added, “Mid-South Food Bank is the leading food distributor in our region. We feed the need by distributing millions of pounds monthly to families fighting hunger. Hunger can impact anyone at any time. That’s why we depend on and are grateful for community partners like the Memphis Food and Wine Festival to support our mission of eliminating hunger in the Mid-South.” A portion of the event proceeds will also benefit the James D. Eason Transplant Institute at Methodist Hospital.
The festival will once again feature great Memphis music. The W. C. Handy Band will greet patrons upon arrival, and main stage sets will feature the Will Sexton Quintet and the Ghost Town Blues Band. The Joe Restivo Trio will perform at the invitation-only VIP event on Friday October 14 at the Hyatt Centric.
Visit www.memphisfoodwinefestival.org for the complete list of participating vintners and chefs, as well as for complete festival information and more details on the Trust Your Spirit Benefit event. Tickets for both events are available on the web site.
Additionally, festival tickets are available on ticketmaster.com and Trust Your Spirit Benefit event tickets are available on Eventbrite.com
The Memphis Food & Wine Festival is a 501(c)(3) organization founded to showcase Memphis’ culinary talent while raising funds for a selected non-profit.