It’s been a few years since the original Music City Food & Wine Festival faded away with but a whimper, scrubbing the website and never officially announcing the end of its multiyear run. The festival was fraught with issues, including grumbling among local chefs about the disparity in resources made available to them compared to national celebrity chefs, and an unfortunate logistical nightmare during the NFL draft in Nashville that left many restaurants dealing with losses.
That’s sad, because there were a lot of good things about the original festival, and it did shine a light on the local culinary scene and raise money for some charitable organizations. However, in the end, the organizers decided to pull up their tents.
Fortunately, FW Publishing — the parent company of the Scene, the Nashville Post, Nfocus and the Williamson Scene — saw the good that was still there and made the bold decision to bring back a new iteration of the Music City Food & Wine Festival. This year's event stretches from April 24 to 27 on the great lawn at Centennial Park.
Laser-focused on local food, drink and purveyors, the festival will feature all sorts of different events and opportunities to shine a spotlight on Middle Tennessee talent, ranging from an Intimate Dinner Series hosted by local chefs at their restaurants, a multicourse al fresco dinner in the park on Friday night, a Grand Tasting event on Saturday and a Food Faire Market and Brunch Garden on Sunday.
Guests at the Grand Tasting will also get the chance to watch a contest between local mixologists and attend the Scene’s signature annual culinary event, Iron Fork, where some of the city’s most talented chefs will face off to cook a plate featuring a secret ingredient for a discerning panel of judges.
Details are still being finalized for the weekend of food and frolic, but I can give you some of the highlights right now, so keep Bites bookmarked and follow along on Instagram and Facebook for future updates.
Among the local talent who have already stepped up to the plate to be a part of the revitalized MCFW are:
Vivek Surti, the creative force behind Tailor; 2025 James Beard Award semifinalists Julio Hernandez of Maiz de la Vida (also 2024’s Iron Fork champion) and Dung “Junior” Vo of Noko and Kase x Noko; Chris Crary, executive chef of 1 Hotel Nashville; Deb Paquette and Jess Lambert of Etch and etc.; Hal Holden-Bache of Lockeland Table; Giovanna Orsino of Tutti da Gio; and Edgar Victoria of Alebrije. Other restaurateurs joining the weekend’s events include Mark Waldo of Waldo’s Chicken and Beer and Andy Marshall of A. Marshall Hospitality. Expect more big names to be announced in the next few weeks!
The Intimate Dinner Series will open the epicurean weekend on Thursday night, April 24, with dinners hosted at Tailor, Bourbon Steak, Maiz de la Vida, Deacon’s New South and more to be announced. The Friday night Feast: A Supper to Savor will feature the kitchen skills of chefs Holden-Bache, Crary and Vo along with curated wine pairings.
Saturday’s Grand Tasting will offer samples from more than 40 wine and spirits brands along with dishes from some of your favorite restaurants. The list of participants reads like last year’s Best of Nashville winner roll: Noko, Limo Peruvian, Deacon’s New South, Sushi | Bar, Alba’s Empanadas, Culaccino, Henley, Maiz de la Vida, Five Points Pizza, Daddy’s Dogs, Waldo’s Chicken, 888, The Rutledge, Onda, Tutti da Gio, Etch, Ricey & Co, 1 Kitchen and more to come.
Iron Fork 2024
We’re keeping the ingredient at Iron Fork a secret for now, because we always like to keep our readers guessing and the chefs on their toes. I’m hoping our friendly sponsors at U.S. Foods will pick an ingredient that's both diabolical and delicious for this year’s challenge! Chefs will include Chris Crary, Edgar Victoria, Giovanna Orsino and Jess Lambert.
Sunday’s Food Faire Market and Brunch Garden will again feature wine and spirits tastings along with cooking demos and local cookbook author signings courtesy of Parnassus. Details to come on the who, where and what of that event — but you know it will be fabulous.
Tickets for MCFW 2025 are now available for purchase at the festival website. Ticket options include:
• Culinary Connoisseur Pass (starting at $399): Includes access to all festival events, a reserved seat at the exclusive FEAST supper, priority reservations for intimate dinners, specialty tastings and more.
• Weekend VIP Pass (starting at $199): Offers VIP-level entry to the Grand Tasting, Sunday VIP Brunch Garden, front-row seats to chef demos and more.
• Grand Tasting VIP (starting at $150): VIP entry on Saturday with lounge access, reserved seating, and front-row views of culinary competitions.
• General Admission (starting at $89): Access to the Grand Tasting with samples from more than 40 restaurants, unlimited wine tastings, craft cocktails and dazzling entertainment.
MCFW is also proud to announce it is joining forces with the Corkdorks Nashville Wine and Food Festival. MCFW is made possible by its founding partners and sponsors including:
Maiz de la Vida maestro dominates chef battle with deft use of secret ingredient, cocoa
• U.S. Foods, presenting the Iron Fork Chef Competition, Demo Stage and Chef’s Lounge
• 1 Hotel Nashville, the official hotel partner of MCFW
• Centennial Park Conservancy, our beneficiary and host site
• Visit Music City, an official founding partner
• Tito's Handmade Vodka, the official vodka of MCFW
• Southbound Tequila, the official tequila of MCFW
• Nelson's Green Brier Distillery, the official whiskey of MCFW
• Corkdorks Wine, Beer, and Spirits, our presenting wine sponsor
Additional sponsors and partners include Cantrip, UberEATS, 80 Acres Farms, Parnassus Books, Waldo’s Chicken & Beer, A. Marshall Family Hospitality, Tanger Outlets, Fresh Creative, Massive Mission Media, Good Neighbor Festivals, The World Food Championships and Foodies of Nashville.
Official nonprofit partners include Centennial Park Conservancy, The Nashville Food Project, Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee and the Giving Kitchen. Community partners include Compost Nashville and Nossi College of Art, with more to be announced.
