This year's poster by Seth Deitch.
And local is our middle name.
The annual culinary festival is back this March 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th (Thursday-Sunday) and despite growing acclaim being named as one of the top five food and wine festivals in the U.S. by Forbes Traveler, the Charleston Wine + Food Festival definitely hasn't forgotten what makes Charleston great — the locals and local influences.
While some of the world's best chefs and winemakers come in to showcase their talents to the Lowcountry, the festival continually keeps great focus on highlighting the best of what Charleston can grow, cook, and eat. Not to mention, this year's signature charity for the festival is Lowcountry Local First, which is a nonprofit organization that provides support for local businesses in the Charleston area.
Amidst all of the fabulous wine tastings, celebrity chefs and Top Chef cook offs, there are also plenty of events focusing specifically on Lowcountry food, farms, and culture. Here are a few of our top picks, and be sure to click on them for more details:
-Thursday, March 3rd, 12 p.m: Locavore Luncheon
-Friday, March 4th, 9:30 a.m: Lowcountry Farm-to-Table Excursion
-Friday, March 4th, 1 p.m: Palmetto Brewery Tour
Foodie tip: Friday night is also the night of the legendary restaurant "Dine Arounds." Select restaurants and chefs throughout the Charleston area will host and work with visiting chefs and winemakers to create unforgettable meals. There is still availability at a few of these occurring at Carolina's, Cypress, Peninsula Grill, and there are even a few seats left at the special Guerilla Cuisine dine around this year! These start at 6:30 p.m.
-Saturday, March 5th, 12 p.m: Early Spring Harvest Luncheon
-Sunday, March 6th, 11 a.m: Lowcountry Gospel Brunch
-Sunday, March 6th, 5 p.m: BBQ, Blues + Brew
And of course, the Culinary Village and Grand Tasting Tents will be featuring more of Charleston's best food and drink offerings throughout the festival in Marion Square. Locals can also get a $5 discount on Sunday, March 6th on tickets to the tents.
According to the W+F website, all of these events still have tickets available at this time, but most of them are almost sold out. If any of them peak your interest, I'd quickly hop over to purchase tickets online here.
Update March 4: Nudge to the top.
