Fall is here, and that means food and wine festivals are raging across the country. The king of these events is the New York City Wine & Food Festival, taking place right now and through the weekend.
It's the 10th anniversary of the festival, and there are more events than ever. These are held in the city's most interesting venues and hosted by people in the industry you want to meet. For example, there is a down-home fried chicken dinner hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, an intimate dinner spotlighting the city's best female chefs, a fancy dim sum brunch in Chinatown, and a donut making masterclass. There are late night parties, early morning panels, family-events, barbecues, grand tastings, and more.
With all these choices navigating the festival can be daunting. So we asked some of New York City's best chefs where and what they will be eating and drinking this weekend. Follow their lead!
Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Morimoto
Where to find him:
- Culinary Demonstrations Only at the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite featuring Samsung® Culinary Demonstrations presented by Mastercard®
- Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite featuring Samsung® Culinary Demonstrations presented by Mastercard®
- Master Sushi Rolling Class with Morimoto
- Rooftop Iron Chef Showdown: Battle Autumn Bounty hosted by Alton Brown
What are you looking forward to eating + doing at the NYCWFF?
- I host a Master Sushi Rolling Class as usual. The tickets sold out so quickly! It's a rather small sized event, but it's really fun and I look forward to it every year because I enjoy interacting with the guests.
Chef Missy Robbins, Head Chef & Owner, Lilia
Where to find her:
What are you looking forward to eating + doing at the NYCWFF?
- I really love cooking at the private dinners. They’re more intimate than some of the other events. I get to interact with guests, cook with friends (and amazing chefs), and it’s almost like being in my restaurant, Lilia. This Friday, I’ll be in the kitchen with Bruce Kalman over at Spring Studios. We’ve created a pasta tasting menu, complete with wine pairings.
Stephanie Izard, Chef / Owner of Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat
Where to find her:
Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite - cooking demo
What are you looking forward to eating + doing at the NYCWFF?
- I’ll be a judge this year at the Rooftop Iron Chef Showdown. I’m looking forward to trying out what all the chefs come up with, specifically Chicago friend Chef Mark Hellyar of Momotaro! I love his Japanese food and am excited to watch New Yorkers give it a taste
Jacques Torres, Mr. Chocolate
Where to find him:
What are you looking forward to eating + doing at the NYCWFF?
- Discovering new food and new chefs, but most importantly, I enjoy seeing chefs that are old friends. If it wasn’t for NYCWFF, we would never see each other!
Josh Capon , Josh Capon - Chef + Partner for Mercer Street Hospitality
Where to find him:
AJ Madison + Monogram presents East Coast Eats: Maine to Miami hosted by Josh Capon
Blue Moon Burger Bash presented by Pat LaFrieda Meats hosted by Rachael Ray
What are you looking forward to eating + doing at the NYCWFF?
- I am super excited to be back in the Burger Bash! It's always a fun night and looking forward to seeing so many friends and familiar faces that I have met through the years. I am also looking forward to hosting the first annual East Coast Eats and eating all the best stuff from Maine to Miami as well as some great grilled meats including my tomahawks from Pat LaFrieda and National Beef at the Backyard BBQ.
Leah Cohen, chef and co-owner of New York City’s Pig & Khao and Jersey City’s Piggyback Bar
Where to find her:
What are you looking forward to eating + doing at the NYCWFF?
I'm looking forward to the two events I'm participating in: Pigs and Pints and Ladies' Night. I also love eating tons of burgers at the Blue Moon Burger Bash and catching up with friends.
Darren Carbone, Executive Chef, El Vez NYC
Where to find him:
What are you looking forward to eating + doing at the NYCWFF?
- Experiencing fall for the first time. As we slowly transition out of summer, the Iron Chef event is not only the first of its kind but also serve as chefs first foray into the fall season. I enjoy stopping at other chef stations to explore their interpretations and learn about ways I can build upon those ideas at my restaurant.
