I had the exciting opportunity to experience this past weekend’s AZ Central’s Food and Wine Experience as a blogger with some awesome opportunities including celebrity meet and greets and exclusive tasting sessions with brands. One of the highlights of the day was time to chat with celebrity chef Graham Elliot.
Graham Elliott signed copies of his new cookbook, Cooking Like a Master Chef and answered questions.
Next session was champagne and wine tasting with Kristin Brott, Moet Hennessy Wine Ambassador. My favorites were the Chandon Rose and the Terrazas Malbec. I’m not a big champagne drinker but really enjoyed the rose bubbly. Kristin suggested pairing it with salty snacks including potato chips or popcorn – sounds unusual but can’t wait to try.
We moved wine to whisky with a presentation by Dr. Tom Turner, Master of Whisky.
Mid day we enjoyed a meet and greet with AZ Republic’s food critic, Dominic Armato chatting about the Valley’s newest and best restaurants.
Had some time to roam the grounds of the Food and Wine Experience. AJs had a huge tent setup including a full meat case and were offering delicious samples including my favorite, dry aged ribeyes. And an amazing display showcasing their desserts perfect for holiday entertaining.
The Grand Tasting tent had many of the Valley’s best restaurants – so much talent under one tent. So many great wineries, breweries and distilleries to experience, too. Some of my favorites included The Mission’s Peruvian Clam Stew and Shabu Fondue’s Pork Gyoza. My favorite cocktails were Hennessy’s sangria and Grand Marnier’s Raspberry Peach Cognac over ice.
In the afternoon we had a meet and greet session with Jenn Bare of Get Crocked. Jenn just released her second slow cooker magazine “Slow Cooker Holiday Classics”. Did you know Jenn Bare is local to Arizona? We also realized we had a past common connection as I created her daughter’s 1st birthday cupcakes at my sweets shop, Simply Sweets Cake Studio.
This was the inaugural year for the Food and Wine Experience. It was a two day experience with lots of different admission options including exclusive dinners and presentations. The event was outdoors next to Scottsdale Fashion Square and the weather was amazingly gorgeous. They did an amazing job converting the lot into an experience with all the astro turf, tents, and lounge seating. I will definitely be there next year!
disclosure: I was given a media pass for admission to the festival. I was not compensated. I was not asked to write this post and all opinions are my own.