The 3rd Savannah Food and Wine Festival wrapped up a few days ago with another magnificent brunch at the Westin Savannah Harbor. That setting punctuated what was a near perfect week in our beautiful city. From the record-setting Low Country Boil back on Saturday the 7th, to the absolutely triumphant Taste of Savannah at the Georgia Railroad Museum the following Saturday, this city swelled with civic pride, culinary pride, and thousands of smiling faces. I know this as fact. I saw them all. It feels like it anyway.
The city’s best week of food is exhausting for a good many of us. The people who put this week on barely sleep. Those of us that document the dinners and attend almost every other function and serve as pseudo ambassadors are right behind them. Making sure that it all goes off with as few hitches as possible. It is a ton of work, but really, it’s so much fun.
The Beard Foundation Dinner at the Mansion on Forsyth Park was the best dinner I have experienced in three years of the festival. Clearly, I have not attended every wine dinner in Savannah during Food and Wine week and I am sure there have been some phenomenal dining experiences, but the buzz in that main ballroom was palpable. The whispers moved from “this is taking too long” in previous years, to “this is one of the best dishes I have had in Savannah”. Over and over again. Yes, it was that good. Just as good as the food were the wines and the atmosphere. Anyone who thinks the James Beard Foundation Dinner is a stuffy affair may want to re-evaluate. As exhibit A, I offer you a chef who stepped out of the kitchen to describe his dish…twice mentioning the word “sex”, one time referring to a pistol, and never once describing his dish. Exhibit B is a wine distributor leading the entire room in a short version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. Yes, it was a great time.
Thursday Night’s “Secret Savannah Speakeasy” was equally up to the task. A beautiful venue filled with some of Savannah’s best restaurants. Elizabeth on 37th, Noble Fare, The Florence, Circa 1875 and Tybee Social Club were just some of the spots that agreed to join us for great food, cocktails, and some live music. There was a cocktail lounge under a tent, there was food as far as you could see. There was also a cake that may have stolen the show. Davy Crockett Murray with Coastal Confections in Richmond Hill delivered us a cake that will be talked about for months. A full sized liquor barrel made to look like a cake. Yes, a good bit of it was edible. It was absolutely the most photographed item at the event. An event, by the way, that was the result of a ton of hard work and planning that also went off without major hiccups. I can’t wait to do it again next year.
Finally, the grand finale Taste of Savannah was everything it should be. I did predict months ago that despite some setbacks in the first two years that this one would be the one that hit it out of the park. Well, I was right. When the only complaint you heard regularly were the lack of restrooms, then you know you got it right. So many of the logistical issues that came with trying to hold such a massive event in one of Savannah’s historic squares were very easily resolved by moving the event to Georgia’s Historic Railroad Museum. The backdrop was perfect. From our spot at the Eat It and Like It/24e Lounge we watched guests enjoy all the festival had to offer while draped in our city’s historic charms. Take a look at any of the photo galleries floating around from various publications. The brick, the trains, the Spanish Moss, those photos scream “Savannah”. As well they should. From the inviting VIP area, to the comforts of the Georgia Grown Village way across the compound, Taste of Savannah was created to be the signature event that welcomed anyone who enjoyed food and drink at a very moderate price. They nailed it. How can I best describe the scene? Do you know that feeling when your football team of choice is playing the game of the year and you are up 24 points in the 4th quarter? (Its been a while for me) but that giddiness that comes with knowing you’ve done it but you have to wait until the clock reads zero? That mood adequately describes the feeling behind the curtain at Taste of Savannah. Was it 100% perfect? Of course not. There were a couple of issues that can very easily be addressed next year.
Speaking of next year? I had more than one person approach me at Taste of Savannah and tell me that this event could soon be among the best in the South. I heard comparisons to Charleston and yes, even Atlanta. At one point I was struggling to find someone who was from the Savannah area. Nearly everyone I spoke to was from out of town. Atlanta, Florida, even Canada. The weather certainly helped, but the event and the week as a whole were just that good.
I’m looking forward to watching all of this grow. Word will get out how much fun Savannah can be during Taste of Savannah. Frankly, the people that may have been turned off by traffic and overcrowding the first two years are going to come back. They absolutely will come back. I see a number of sell outs in this event’s future. Truthfully, at its current rate, the Savannah Food and Wine Festival may within five years of its creation end up as one of the top two or three food festivals in the South. The kind of event that will draw people from around the world to Eat It and Like It. Ain’t that a hoot!
See you on TV.
Jesse
