Jerry Slater of H. Harper Station
The chefs have gone home, the tents have come down, and another year of the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival is in the books. Four days of dinners, cooking & booze seminars and tasting tents showcased the best that the South has to offer. There was no signature Food Network celebrity on the bill to bring in the hordes, just honest good food from restaurants from Texas to Virginia with a lot of Atlanta mixed in.
H. Harper Station's cured salmon with peach remoulade -- ridiculously good
Some of the longest lines were reserved for culinary outlets like The Spotted Trotter and Cardamom Hill that didn’t even have a brick and mortar location at the time of last year’s festivals. Many joked last year that the festival was really the Atlanta Food and Bourbon festival, and there was no doubt plenty of bourbon at this year’s festival. The spirits industry must’ve gotten wind of this and the bourbon folks were joined by tables hawking mezcal, acai spirits, pisco and more.
I managed to attend one wine seminar -- Ryan Mullins is a funny guy
The wine dinner I attended at Cardamom Hill, didn’t have much wine at all, but I wasn’t complaining. The dinner was a collaboration between CH chef Asha Gomez, George Mendes from Aldea in NYC and mixologist Gina Chersevani. Cocktails ranged from cachaca, red wine, and gin concoctions and homemade ginger & cilantro syrups and leek-infused vermouth. I’m still trying to replicate the gin+coconut milk+cilantro offering that paired masterfully with Chef Mendes’ house cured bacalhau (Hey Gina, call me!).
Happy festivalgoers & friends of mine
I don’t have the gift of words that folks such as Bill Addison and Ozersky have, so be sure to check out their odes to the festival that was. What I do have is photos, and I’ll let them do the talking. Cheers!
"The Shepherd" from Border Springs holding court at the lamb tasting trail
Chefs Terry Koval of Farm Burger & Whitney Otawka of Farm 255 and their crispy pig ears
With a cube of ice, please
Delta employees were everywhere at the festival providing refreshments at the seminars. Bacon brownies were served in the tents along with their signature Biscoff cookies
Saturday
Mussel bites from Lure
Logan Ayliffe and Jael Rattigan of Asheville, NC's French Broad Chocolates. I *crave* their chocolates. They happen to be really nice people too
Serving up Willett bourbon realness
Alma Cocina mixologist Kit Lewis created signature cocktails for the event
VeeV acai spirit
Fox Bros. BBQ
Angie Mosier listening to the story behind Ilegal Mezcal
Kevin Outz of The Spotted Trotter had a long line for his pork belly *15* ways
Avondale's Wild Heaven beer represented on craft beer row
Serious Cyrille Holota of BLT Steak
BLT Steak's summer beef skewers
We're more than just peaches, y'all
I met a ton of readers/Instagram followers who flagged me down. It was great meeting you Latasha!
Texas' Tito's Vodka
Whiskey Park after party with one of my favorite bartenders, Arianne Felder of Bourbon Bar
That’s all folks. For now. I’ve got more. Would you like to see them? Let me know in the comments.
by Broderick Smylie
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