APRIL 9, 2009 ISSUE
A Toast to Taste
4th Annual Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival April 16 to 19
(top) In one of the most popular events of the weekend, area chefs compete in an Iron Chef-style competition called the Fire on the Rock Chef’s Challenge. (bottom) The Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival prominently features wines produced in North Carolina.
The big news about this year’s Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival is that the main event—the Grand Tasting—is moving from Chetola Resort to a new location in downtown Blowing Rock. The tasting tent will be at the corner of Maple and Main streets from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 18.
“We want to get festival-goers closer to our downtown merchants,” said Stephanie Keener, events director for the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, the main sponsor of the festival.
The fourth annual Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival happens this year Thursday through Sunday, April 16 to 19, in Blowing Rock. The event features winemakers’ dinners, cooking classes, wine tastings, seminars and a chef’s challenge.
This year, festival organizers decided not to continue some festival events held in the past, such as a fashion show and book fair.
“It’s really focused on the wine and the food,” Keener said. Also, the 2009 festival will not feature a wine-making competition, as it has in the past.
The weekend begins with the first of two days of winemakers’ and vintners’ dinners. On Thursday, dinners begin at Christopher’s Wine & Cheese, The Gamekeeper and the Mast Farm Inn at 5:00, 6:00 and 7:00 p.m., respectively. Contact the individual restaurants to make reservations. To view the menus for the winemakers’ dinners, click to www.blueridgewinefestival.com.
Later on Thursday evening is the Uncork the Festival ceremony at the Meadowbrook Inn. Enjoy great food, wine samplings and live music by Dark Side of the Boone from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $35.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, downtown merchants will join in the festival by hosting a scavenger hunt throughout town. Enter the hunt for a chance to win free tickets and lodging to the 2010 Wine and Food Festival and $300 in Blowing Rock spending money. Shoppers can pick up a game card and look for a wine glass at participating businesses. Inside the wine glasses will be facts about North Carolina wines that participants will use to answer questions on their game cards. The winner will be announced at the Fire on the Rock Chef’s Challenge finale on Sunday at the Hayes Center.
A series of seminars and cooking demonstrations take place throughout the day on Friday, including cooking demonstrations with Chef Will Burrell at Glidewell’s at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. for $25, Wine Tasting 101 seminars at Chetola Resort at 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. for $15 and a Wine and Spice seminar at Christopher’s Wine & Cheese at 1:30 p.m. for $15. A Pairing Cheese and Wine seminar takes place at Chetola Resort at 3:00 p.m. for $18, followed by a Values from Around the World seminar at Chetola at 3:30 p.m. for $15.
The winning piece from last year’s Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival art competition is featured in the promotional material for the 2009 festival.
A gallery stroll takes place from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Friday evening. For a free map, visit the Blowing Rock Visitors Center at 7738 Valley Boulevard.
The winemakers’ dinners continue on Friday, with dinners at Crippen’s, The Manor House at Chetola, Glidewell’s, Blowing Rock Grille, Roland’s at Westglow Spa and Gideon Ridge beginning at staggered times between 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. Contact the individual restaurants to make reservations. To view the menus for the winemakers’ dinners, click to www.blueridgewinefestival.com.
At 7:00 p.m. on Friday is the V.I.P. Charity Wine Gala, a black-tie affair at one of Blowing Rock’s finest private homes. Call 828-295-7851 for more information.
Multi-instrumentalist and founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band John McEuen returns to the Hayes Performing Arts Center on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. concert. Tickets are $20 for adults and $14 for students.
A new event in 2009 is the Late Night Pastry Party at Crippen’s at 10:00 p.m. on Friday. The event features Carla Lyons Hall, a finalist on the most recent season of Bravo’s Top Chef. Tickets are $40.
Saturday features the Fire on the Rock Chef’s Challenge and the Grand Tasting. The Chef’s Challenge is a playoff-style competition that pits the area’s best chefs against one another, as in the popular television show Iron Chef. The chefs prepare multi-course meals using a secret ingredient announced at the start of competition, and a panel of judges will determine the winner.
The Grand Tasting, held on Saturday, is the main event of the Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival. This year, the Grand Tasting moves to Maple Street in downtown Blowing Rock.
Competition heats will take place at 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at the Hayes Center. At 11:00 a.m., Chuck Nelson of the Table at Crestwood will battle Chef Marietta DeBriere of the Blowing Rock Country Club. The 2:00 p.m. heat pits James Welch of Crippen’s against Bill Greene of Artisinal. At 5:00 p.m., Michael Barbato of The Manor House Restaurant at Chetola Resort will cook against Guy Branaman of the Broyhill Inn’s Jackson Dining Room. And at 8:00 p.m., Guy Thomas of Meadowbrook Inn’s Ciao Bella will meet Dominic Geraghty of Hound Ears Club. Tickets are $5 to each individual heat or $10 for all four heats.
The Grand Tasting, previously held at Chetola Resort, has moved to downtown Blowing Rock this year. The Grand Tasting will take place at the Maple Street Parking area, just off of Main Street, on Saturday from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. Bonnie Jesseph of W.I.N.O.S. will join the Grand Tasting celebration. Amanda Fife Lugenbell, assistant director of the Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority, said the crowds at the Grand Tasting last year prompted the festival to acquire a larger tent this year.
“We’ll be prepared this year,” Lugenbell said.
Tickets to the Grand Tasting are $35 in advance and $45 at the door.
On Sunday, special champagne brunches will take place at various Blowing Rock restaurants at 11:00 a.m. Then comes the Fire on the Rock Chef’s Challenge grand finale at 2:00 p.m. at the Hayes Center. Tickets are $7.
To purchase tickets to Blue Ridge Food & Wine Festival events or for more information, including specific event times and ticket prices, call 828-295-7851 or click to www.blueridgewinefestival.com.
Want To Go?
Date: Thursday to Sunday, April 16 to 19
Time: various times
Location: downtown Blowing Rock
Cost: various ticket prices
Blue Ridge Food & Wine Festival Schedule
Here’s a schedule of the many events at the Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival, but be sure to click to www.blueridgewinefestival.com for complete event info, locations and ticket prices.
Thursday, April 16
5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Winemakers’ Dinners: Christopher’s Wine & Cheese, The Gamekeeper, Mast Farm Inn
7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Uncork the Festival Ceremony
Friday, April 17
All Day Downtown Fun Scavenger Hunt
10:00 a.m. Cooking Demo with Will Burrell, Glidewell’s Restaurant, $25
1:00 p.m. Wine Tasting 101 Seminar, Chetola Resort, $15
1:30 p.m. Wine & Spice Seminar, Christopher’s Wine & Cheese, $15
2:00 p.m. Wine Making 101 Seminar, Chetola Resort, $12
3:00 p.m. Pairing Cheese and Wine Seminar, Chetola Resort, $18
Cooking Demo with Will Burrell, Glidewell’s Restaurant, $25
3:30 p.m. Values from Around the World Seminar, Chetola Resort, $15
5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Gallery Stroll, downtown Blowing Rock
Winemakers’ Dinners: Crippen’s, The Manor House at Chetola, Glidewell’s, Blowing Rock Grille, Roland’s at Westglow Spa, Gideon Ridge
7:00 p.m. VIP Charity Wine Gala, Private Home
7:30 p.m. John McEuen Concert, Hayes Center, $20 adults/$14 students
10:00 p.m. Late Night Pastry Party with Carla Lyons Hall, Crippen’s, $40
Saturday, April 18
All Day Downtown Fun Scavenger Hunt
11:00 a.m. Fire on the Rock Chef Challenge Heat 1, Hayes Center, $5
12:00 to 4:00 p.m. Grand Tasting, Maple and Main streets, $35 advance/$45 door
2:00 p.m. Fire on the Rock Chef Challenge Heat 2, Hayes Center, $5
5:00 p.m. Fire on the Rock Chef Challenge Heat 3, Hayes Center, $5
8:00 p.m. Fire on the Rock Chef Challenge Heat 4, Hayes Center, $5
Sunday, April 19
11:00 a.m. Festival Champagne Brunches
2:00 p.m. Fire on the Rock Grand Finale, Hayes Center, $7
Scavenger Hunt Grand Prize Drawing, Hayes Center
Alta Vista Gallery in Valle Crucis To Serve Shelton Vineyard Wines
On the nights of Thursday and Friday, April 16 and 17, Alta Vista Gallery in Valle Crucis will feature wines from Shelton Vineyards. The art gallery will be open both of those nights to feature Shelton wines as part of the Blue Ridge Wine and Food Festival.
On Thursday, Shelton wines will be served from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., and on Friday, the wines will be served from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Enjoy the wine while viewing the art of more than 100 Alta Vista Gallery artists.
One of the artists represented by Alta Vista Gallery is Dotti Shelton, co-owner of Shelton Vineyards and a renowned palette-knife oil painter.
Alta Vista Gallery is located at 2839 Broadstone Road in Valle Crucis. For more information, call 828-963-5247.
Community Interest
News & Notes
Events
Arts & Entertainment
