2014 Atlanta Food and Wine Festival

There are few things that can get me up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and one of those things is the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival!  This was my first year attending this awesome festival, so I was super excited to be in attendance.

The first station I visited was Chef Micheal Paley’s.  He was preparing an artichoke tabbouleh.  This was a first for me.  I am not a huge fan of chick peas, which are also called garbanzo beans, but trying new foods is what being a foodie is all about.  Chef Paley added his own twist as to the way that traditional tabbouleh is prepared.  Chef Paley added mint artichoke which was braised, additional heating, fresh mint, lemon juice, and pine nuts puree.  This combination was awesome and fresh.  I’m definitely glad that I stopped by his station.

I had no idea which classes I wanted to try.  However, I did stumble across a wine class.  I learned a few fun facts about Virginia wines:  Virginia is No. 5 in the country for wine production (California wines are 90 percent of the production of wines); Virginia wines are getting tons of press.  Ten years ago, Virginia wines were awful, but now they have plenty of great-tasting wines.  I had a blast at this wine tasting, and I am now a fan of Virginia wines with the Norton being my favorite.

Some of my other food festival favorites would have to be:  Pearson Farm Peaches.  These peaches were so fresh and so ripe.  You can purchase Pearson Farm Praches at your local farmer’s market.  They are also mobile and deliver Georgia-grown peaches.

Grand Champion BBQ had finger-lickin’ good BBQ.  Make sure to add this restaurant to your must-try list. Their BBQ is slow-cooked for 16 hours, and they offer handmade rubs and sauces.  If you’re in the Atlanta area, then you’re in luck.  Grand Champion BBQ has two locations:
* 4401 Shallowford Road Roswell, GA 30075; and 12635  Crabapple Road, Milton, GA.

Windsor Court Hotel’s chef, Daniel Causgrove from New Orleans, was one of my favorite chefs.  He prepared an incredible blue crab grain.  It was blue crab grain caviar, black garlic, asparagus, braised radish, and sherry cream.

I tried Pennington Strawberry’s Rye Whiskey.  And I also had Belles Organics hand-crafted premium ready-to-drink cocktails.  And last, but not least, King of Pops had their tent set up with their hand-crafted delicious popcicles!

I will definlety be in attendance next year!  The Atlanta Food and Wine Festival is the go-to for any foodie. But don’t take my word for it. You should attend next year and see for yourself!