Justin Fox Burks
How does the second Memphis Food & Wine Festival top the success of its inaugural event? Tweak the event’s layout for 2,500 guests at Memphis Botanic Garden, add Michelin Three-Star Chef Guy Savoy to an impressive culinary lineup, crank up the Memphis music, and pour lots (and lots) of wine.
“We showcase some wines that people will recognize and some that are new to the market,” explains John Adams, marketing director for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Tennessee. “But all the wines are exceptional to complement the quality and marquee of the chefs.”
Dishes prepared by nationally known chefs are equally diverse, ranging from wild salmon with olive tapenade and lemon confit from Chef Thierry Rautureau at Seattle’s Loulay Kitchen to grilled Royal Red shrimp with rum barrel hot sauce from Chef Tory McPhail at the Commander’s Palace in New Orleans.
Local chefs are also well-represented, including the three chefs profiled here, who talked to student journalists from the University of Memphis about their influences in the kitchen and the food they like to serve.
Soon after its inaugural event, the Memphis Food & Wine Festival was branded one of the best parties of the year. The photos on this page from last year explain why: Balmy weather, tented stations for sampling, generous wine pours, and dozens of accomplished chefs, including festival organizer José Gutierrez from River Oaks, pictured below passing out plates.
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