Food & Wine Classic: Charleston Will Feature Nashville Chefs

Longtime Bites readers probably already know that I’m a huge fan of Charleston, S.C., as a dining destination, and their annual spring Charleston Wine + Food event has long been a favorite on my culinary calendar. Unfortunately, this year’s event was almost a total washout as torrential rains canceled most of the weekend’s festivities due to flooding. (It is called “The Lowcountry” after all.)

Hopefully CHSWFF will be back stronger and better next year, but since many of the events have moved out of the downtown section of Charleston, there is literal and figurative room for another major food event on the calendar. Explore CHS and the combined brands of Dotdash Meredith have introduced the new Food & Wine Classic: Charleston event, modeled on the extremely successful festival that they have held in Aspen, Colo., for more than 40 years.

The inaugural Food & Wine Classic: Charleston will take place in a tight footprint around downtown Charleston Sept. 27 through 29 and feature a combination of local and regional talent alongside nationally known food celebrities who regularly appear in the pages of Food & Wine. The Classic will also leverage editorial talent from other major Meredith publications including Travel + Leisure and Southern Living. 

The powerhouse publications will combine to offer seminars, workshops and chef demos along with two days of tasting tents and a few field trips away from the festival center for special events. Charleston is a perpetual honoree on Travel + Leisure’s “best of” lists, so they see this as a way to bring their editorial content to life for readers. To that end, they are sponsoring and organizing a pair of Style Strolls curated by editor-in-chief Jacqui Gifford and senior editor Elizabeth Rhodes that will visit some of the boutiques and artisan shops on and around King Street. The two editors are also leading special “Sea to Table” events, where participants will learn the art of casting a net and fish for their lunch. Afterward, they’ll enjoy a cooking class with one of Charleston’s top chefs, followed by an intimate luncheon.

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Personally, I’m most looking forward to Southern Living’s contribution to the proceedings: a short field trip to nearby Kiawah Island for what they are deeming the “ultimate Southern college football tailgate,” hosted by editor-in-chief Sid Evans. It also happens to be the home of this year’s Southern Living Ideas House, which will be open for tours while special guest chef Tyler Florence and pitmasters John Lewis and Rodney Scott handle the foodstuffs. (I know that Scott is originally from South Carolina, but since he’s opened his eponymous rooftop barbecue joint in downtown Nashville, I’m totally claiming him as one of our own!) Nashville musical heroes Boy Named Banjo will provide the entertainment.

Other Nashville chefs will be leading tasty seminars during the event. Sean Brock will present on Friday morning on the very important topic of “Brock on Burgers: Why the Crustburger Reigns Supreme,” and Maneet Chauhan will bring the class to order on Sunday morning to discuss “Masala Dabba: The Heart & Soul of the Indian Kitchen.” Erstwhile Nashvillian and consummate beer professional Roy Milner will hold court on what looks like a fascinating subject: “Beer by the Sea: How Coastal Breweries Are Making Some of America's Greatest Brews.” He will also moderate a panel featuring ham master Allan Benton and distillers Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall on “Bourbon & Bacon: The Ultimate Pairing.” That particular seminar happens to be taking place at The Mills House, the charming and historic hotel where I’ll be staying, so I may never leave the property that day.

The Style Strolls, Sea to Table Events and Ultimate Tailgate events are available as individual tickets, and the rest of the weekend is included in the full festival pass. Those passes are available at a $500 discount until the end of August, so if this sounds like a weekend you would enjoy, you might want to grab your tickets ASAP. The money you save should more than pay for a Southwest ticket to Chucktown, so jump on it!