Chow Down at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, May 29-June 1

More than 100 award-winning regional chefs plus sommeliers and beverage visionaries unite in Midtown this weekend for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. The culinary camaraderie of dinners, classes, demos and sipping and sampling begins on Thursday, May 29 and keeps on cooking through Sunday, June 1. JCT. Kitchen & Bar is hosting an oyster roast/fish fry/Floribama-flavored Pig Out Coastal-style dinner on May 29. Stop by the tasting tents at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 30 and try a sample of Mike Fuller’s Parmesan scallops with lobster risotto. Friday also finds Shaun Doty of Bantam & Biddy and Chick-a-Biddy chatting up Bantam & Brew, a bird- and beer-based cooking demo presented by Stella Artois. That night, Gerry Klaskala of Aria and Kevin Gillespie of Gunshow will serve up their favorites at the About South dinner at the Atlanta History Center. On Saturday, May 31, Orpheus Brewing and Shaun Doty contribute to the Connoisseur’s Breakfast that’s all about “Fast Casual.” Wrap up the festival on Sunday, June 1 with Ford Fry and his team of Adam Evans (The Optimist), E.J. Hodgkinson (JCT. Kitchen & Bar), Andrew Isabella (No. 246) and Joe Schafer (King + Duke) taking on Empire Breakfasts. Also on Sunday, Kevin Gillespie talks up a spell on Hillbilly (Appalachian) Cuisine with its locally foraged and grown ingredients, and Jason Pellet of Orpheus Brewing taps topics in the Southern craft brewers class. To start your Southern culinary journey, use the event schedule to plan your weekend and then buy tickets online.

Explore the South by Fork and Glass at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival May 29 - June 1

Fill your tank with Southern foods, libations, fine dining and learning opportunities without loading up the gas card. More than 100 award-winning chefs as well as sommeliers and beverage innovators are carting their skills to Midtown where the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival takes the streets from Thursday, May 29 through Sunday, June 1. Shaun Doty, chef/owner of Bantam + Biddy and Chick-a-Biddy, pairs bird and brew in his Bantam & Beer cooking demo and joins Orpheus Brewing for a fast-casual Connoisseur’s Breakfast. Gunshow’s Kevin Gillespie leads Hillbilly Cuisine, and Orpheus Brewery’s Jason Pellet joins in the Southern craft brewers class. Ford Fry and his team of Adam Evans (The Optimist), E.J. Hodgkinson (JCT. Kitchen & Bar), Andrew Isabella (No. 246) and Joe Schafer (King + Duke) take on Empire Breakfasts. JCT. Kitchen & Bar is hosting an oyster roast/fish fry/Floribama-ish Pig Out Coastal-style dinner on May 29. On Friday, Gunshow’s Kevin Gillespie and Aria’s Gerry Klaskala contribute to the About South dinner at the Atlanta History Center. Visit the tasting tents and set off on culinary tasting “trails” through bourbon, craft beer (including Orpheus Brewery), Southern wines and food favorites (look for the Ray’s Restaurants tent where Mike Fuller will spoon up samples of Parmesan scallops with lobster risotto) provided by a line-up of 100 plus chefs. Between learning, tasting, dining and the connoisseur experience, there are so many ticket options from which to choose! Thankfully there’s a planning worksheet to organize your thoughts before you click here to buy tickets.

Treat Your Valentine to Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Tickets Starting February 14

The perfect Valentine's Day gift for your favorite foodie is only a few clicks away. Tickets to the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival are available for purchase online starting February 14th. Plan ahead and mark the dates of May 29-June 1, 2014 on your calendar to sync with that lucky someone. Food & Wine magazine presents this four-day festival that fills Midtown with more than 90 learning experiences, big tasting tents full of tasting experiences from around the Southern half of the globe, and a bevy of special dinners and parties at restaurants and unique venues. We hope Cupid has a pair of tickets flying our way!

Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Hits the Streets of Midtown

Get ready for all things Southern as the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival takes over Midtown from Thursday, May 30 through Sunday, June 2. Spend the day sampling sweet and savory snacks from acclaimed chefs while sipping on craft beers and cocktails from top mixologists. Some of our favorite Atlanta restaurants, like Alma Cocina and The Optimist, will be making tasty appearances of their own.  

Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Tickets Go On Sale February 14

Save the date! Tickets for the 2013 Atlanta Food & Wine Festival in Midtown go on sale this Thursday, February 14. This year's special events, speakers, demonstrations and food and wine tastings span the weekend of Thursday, May 30-Sunday, June 2. These tickets would make an amazing addition to any Valentine's Day gift, so don't forget to purchase them for your love!

Aria and The Optimist Help Kick Off the Food & Wine Festival on May 10

Sure signs of spring are here. Foodies are filling Midtown Atlanta streets during the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival taking place May 10 - 13. On Thursday night, May 10, Aria and The Optimist host dinners centering around Southern food and chef talent. Aria Executive Chef Gerry Klaskala and his guests James Boyce (AL) and Frank Lee (SC) are honing in on a Georgia Grown Cream of the Crop theme using Vidalia onions, pecans, blueberries, peaches and more in the night's menu. The Optimist, which opens in Atlanta's Westside this month, swims with an Oceans 6 theme as chefs Ford Fry (GA), Bryan Caswell (TX), Mike Lata (SC), Dean Max (FL), Brandon McGlamery (FL) and Norman Van Aken (FL) with Master Sommelier Kathy Morgan (DC) gather to delight diners with fish dishes from the Gulf and South Carolina coasts. Both dinners begin at 7 p.m. and are priced at $150 per person, including beverages, tax and gratuity. Click here to order tickets.

Get Your Atlanta Food & Wine Festival Tickets and Save

Last year this event was a blast so hurry and buy your tickets before the word gets out (and while you can save some dough). All our favorite chefs will be there! Check out Atlanta Food & Wine Festival for details on the May 10 - 13 event. If mom's a foodie, then this is the perfect way to spend Mother's Day weekend!

The South has never tasted so good, and the prices will not be lower this festival season. Several ticket options satisfy a variety of desires whether you're looking for a couple of learning experiences and tastings to total submersion in Southern culinary classes, foods, wines and dinners. Per person options with early bird (now) and full pricing after March 29 (later) include a tasting tent pass ($85 now/$100 later); day pass ($135 now/$185 later); three-day pass for Friday, Saturday and Sunday ($375 now/$500 later); and the connoisseur day pass, per day ($565 now/$700 later). The all-out lavish three-day connoisseur pass features three connoisseur breakfasts, private dinners Thursday and Friday, Blackberry Farm dinner on Saturday and Anne Quatrano's closing supper on Sunday, plus access to the connoisseur lounge on Friday, Saturday and Sunday ($1,500 now/$2,000 later). Ticket specifics and purchasing information are on the website.

Atlanta Food & Wine Festival donates a portion of its proceeds toAtlanta History Center, Les Dames d' Escoffier International,Oxford American, Wholesome Wave Foundation and James Beard Foundation. In 2011, the festival contributed more than $150,000 in tickets to nonprofit organizations. Follow along on Facebook andTwitter.

It's Follow Friday; Meet Our Tweep of the Week @dloveatl

With the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival coming up May 19-22...and all of the preliminary events leading up to it, it’s not like Dominique Love is sitting around twiddling her forks and corks.    

Being the energetic entrepreneur that she is, the CEO and co-founder of the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival has plenty to tweet (@dloveatl) about and info-bites to share on Southern food, wine and spirits.