The four-day Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival returns to the land of pastels and wealthy seasonal visitors, featuring big-name chefs, world class wines and the annual Grand Tasting, where chefs from Florida’s finest restaurants showcase their talents in a celebration of flavors and fine food.
Global kitchen superstars and standout local talents will participate in the festival, a Palm Beach fixture since 2006, complemented by about 60 winemakers from around the world, starting Thursday, Dec. 7 and running through the weekend until Dec. 10. Ticketed event prices range from $50 to $350, though most fall in the $150-$250 range.
The festival continues its post-pandemic comeback with a mix of familiar favorites and new offerings for food and wine fans. Caribbean-inspired fare from Avocado Grill, straight-from-the-boat seafood from PB Catch and locally sourced ingredients stalwart Coolinery will offer dishes to hungry attendees. Coolinary (chef Tim Lipman changed the name from Coolinary Café in 2012) emphasizes a community dining experience and has won accolades from local media and made an appearance on the cooking show Emiril’s Florida.
Wine lovers can take a global tour without leaving South Florida, as wineries from California’s tony Caymus nestle next to French legends like Bordeaux blockbuster Château Smith Haut Lafitte. Italy’s noted Barolo maker Ceretto will be there, along with New World peers like Australia’s Henschke, New Zealand biodynamic dynamo Rippon and Malbec masters Catena Zapata from Argentina. This is the first year the festival has partnered with Wine Spectator to expand its wine component, drawing top names from the worlds of wine and food.
The signature Grand Tasting closes out the festival at the Palm Beach Convention Center, with myriad menu options and dessert samplings from dozens and dozens of South Florida’s best restaurants, as well as an array of wine and spirit tastings. Don’t miss the annual Grand Chef Throwdown, where three local chefs compete for a $10,000 local charity prize.
Bill Himmelrich, owner of Delray Beach-based Old School Bakery and an event sponsor, said that the festival has historically created a “unique atmosphere of collaboration and sense of community” between participants and attendees.
“Every year is a little bit different, and this year the festival returns with several new events, expands its footprint to include Boca Raton, and highlights a new charitable component,” says organizer David Sabin. Part of the proceeds from the event will go to the Els for Autism Foundation, a global nonprofit organization serving individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families.
Television show host and chef Robert Irvine, who will reprise his healthy cooking for kids workshop, calls the event “an intimate experience” with “special energy.”
He’ll be joined by culinary luminaries, including Daniel Bolud, local favorite (and festival co-founder) Lindsay Autry, Timon Balloo and Maneet Chauhan, among the 50 participating kitchen wizards.
Event venues include the Palm Beach County Convention Center, famed resort The Breakers, and Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, offering attendees the opportunity to indulge in culinary delights at some of Palm Beach’s most iconic locations. The Breakers is a Palm Beach icon dating back to 1896, when Henry Flagler, who transformed South Florida from swampland to vacationland, opened it as the Palm Beach Inn. The Breakers Hotel made the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and in 2012 the AIA‘s Florida Chapter ranked the hotel seventh on its list of “Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.’
Eau Palm Beach, in Manalapan, is among the area’s swankiest lures for sun-seeking visitors. It’s also a gourmet hub for visitors, with seven restaurants and a delightful cocktail bar on the premises.
Visit the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival website for information on tickets, event schedules, participating chefs and winemakers and walk-around tastings.
