Michael Donahue
Spearheading the Memphis Food & Wine Festival are Wally Joe, Al LaRocca, Sherry and Bob Chimenti, and Jose Gutierrez.
More than 40 chefs – area and from around the country – and almost 40 vintners will take part in this year’s Memphis Food & Wine Festival, which will be held Oct. 12th at Memphis Botanic Garden.
Six French Master Chefs, including Jose Gutierrez, chef/owner of River Oaks, will participate. Other chefs will be from Michelin-starred restaurants. James Beard Foundation winners will include Wally Joe, chef/owner of Acre. Gutierrez is the festival’s chef chairperson, and Joe is co-chef chairperson.
In addition to Gutierrez and Joe, local chefs will include Erling Jensen from Erling Jensen: The Restaurant, Andreas Kisler from The Peabody, Ryan Trimm, whose restaurants include Sweet Grass and 117 Prime; and Phillip Ashley Rix of Phillip Ashley Chocolates.
Out-of-town chefs include Tory McPhail from Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, Deb Paquette from Etch in Nashville, and Ken Frank from La Toque in Napa, California.
Among the culinary items will be Gutierrez’s roast pork tenderloin with peas and mint with fennel and coconut, and Joe’s gnocchi with duck confit, mushrooms, and smoked potato sauce.
McPhail is slated to serve barbecued gulf redfish cake with ravigote, Creole tomato sauce piquant, and herb salad.
Vintners include Caymus Vineyards, Pol Roger, and Silver Oak & Twomey.
Performers at the festival will include Amy LaVere, Will Sexton, John Paul Keith, and Ghost Town Blues Band.
Since 2016, Memphis Food & Wine Festival raised more than $225,000 for FedExFamilyHouse, says Sandra Lewis, relationship manager at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.
Gutierrez, Al LaRocca, and Bob and Sherry Chimenti are founders of the festival.
For more information and ticket prices, go to memphisfoodwinefestival.org.
As a companion event to the festival, Acre is hosting a dinner on Oct. 10th. Guest chefs Frank, the Michelin starred chef-owner of La Toque, and Michael Smith of Farina in Kansas City, Missouri will join Joe in the kitchen. Smith is a James Beard Best Chef-Midwest Award winner. Also cooking will be Gutierrez and Franck Oysel, pastry chef at Interim.
Wines from Dry Creek Vineyards in Sonoma will be paired with each course.
The cost of the dinner is $185 pp plus tax & gratuity. A portion of the proceeds will benefit FedExFamilyHouse and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.
