We have the honor and pleasure of attending and participating in a lot of food festivals and related events with Eat It and Like It. Not only here in our home of Savannah, but also on Hilton Head Island, Charleston, St. Simons Island, Jekyll, Amelia Island and all kinds of points in between. They are all wonderful in their own way. Some we enjoy maybe a little more than others for various reasons. It is, however, fair to say that as Spring approaches and we start making plans for the summer, the one set of dates that always gets blocked out? Typically the first weekend in June for the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival.
If you are passionate about Southern food, and we most definitely are, then it is hard not to love the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival. Truthfully the major leagues of Southern food events.
For starters, it’s massive, but not terribly overcrowded. The tasting scene at Piedmont Park is as picturesque as you will find anywhere. The classes and demos going on inside of the Loews Atlanta Hotel are always flawlessly executed. Personally? I am like a kid in a candy story at AFWF. So much to do, so little time.
Of course, there is the ‘star gazing’ if you are in to that sort of thing. Most of the biggest name chefs in the South are there at one point or another. Most are approachable (as long as they aren’t mid-demo) and you can really enjoy quality conversations about food. Real conversations about food.
Their hashtag for social media purposes is #knowthesouth. I think that is perfect, frankly. Yes, you can very likely eat to you heart’s content. But if learning about food and enjoying good quality conversation while doing so is part of your M.O., then you should consider paying our friends in Atlanta a visit.
We’ll have more in the next few weeks with some of this year’s participants. Including Savannah’s Cheryl Day of Back in the Day Bakery as well as Orchid Paulmeier of One Hot Mama’s on Hilton Head Island.
The Atlanta Food and Wine Festival will be held May 31-June 3, 2018.
For a full list of events click here.
