Nashville, Asheville and Portlandia East are among the hot travel destinations right now, but why not pair that plane ticket with a food and drink event sure to incite loads of Facebook jealousy. Most mainstream festivals are too crowded and predictable, but the events listed below include less traditional activities like food-truck llama parties, chocolate mustaches and George Washington’s buzz-worthy retirement plan. Please check out the links within the descriptions for more information about times and dates.
Harvest on the Harbor
Portland, Maine
Portlanders go bonkers for locally sourced farm-to-fork and trawl-to-table dishes, and Harvest on the Harbor offers Maine’s finest (see photo above) amidst the radiant colors of a New England autumn. The Lobster Chef of the Year Competition is the hot ticket with local kitchen commandos putting their best spin on Maine’s signature dish. Other events include the Brews, Booze & Blues Barbeque and the oceanfront Grand Tasting on the Harbor. As evidence of the state’s culinary chops, Maine claims three of the last six James Beard Award winners for the seven-state Northeast.
Indie Spirits Expo
New York City, Chicago and New Orleans
After serving as our first president, guess what George Washington did next? He built the largest whiskey distillery in America. Students might not learn this in social studies, but attendees at last year’s Indie Spirits Expo (ISE) in NYC had the chance to taste Washington’s original recipe rye. Like a graduate class in home mixology, ISE expands your knowledge of small-batch distilleries serving spirts like scorpion-spiked mescal, solera-aged bourbon, peanut rum crème and vodka made from sugar beets.
Latin Food Fest
San Diego and Santa Monica, California
When Old Man Winter turns those fingers blue, remember that SoCal has sunshine, beaches and the largest Latin food and drink event in the nation. The Latin Food Fest (Santa Monica in March, San Diego in August) includes special gourmet dinners, food expos and a beachfront Grande Tasting, but the pantry at this Latin event does not end at Chiapas, Mexico. The multi-day festival typically includes intoxicating food and drinks from places like Peru, Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil, Argentina and Spain.
Around the World in 80 Sips
18 cities including Miami, Austin and the Hamptons
If Jules Verne’s 80 Days novel pays tribute to a British Empire where the sun never sets, 80 Sips is about a bottle where the wine never ends. Produced by the online community Bottlenotes, Around the World in 80 Sips takes wine lovers around the globe with heavyweights like France, Italy, California and Argentina standing side-by-side with less-familiar producers like Greece, Moldova, Brazil and Texas. Man cannot live on wine alone (trust us, we tried), so the annual multi-city event includes pairings like tapas, cheese and chocolate.
The Vendy Awards
New York City, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Philadelphia
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
