Review | It’s All About the Chefs at the New York City Wine and Food Festival

I have attended many culinary events across Arizona, from wine festivals in Flagstaff and Prescott to Arizona Cooks at the Westin Kierland and the inaugural Nirvana at the breathtaking Sanctuary Resort in Paradise Valley. I try to find something unique about each event, from trying new foods to learning more about Arizona’s burgeoning wine industry, but part of me feels like I’ve seen it all.

In October my mom and I made a pilgrimage to the New York City Wine and Food Festival, a trip several months in the making. The festival, which celebrated its 10^th anniversary in 2017, is sponsored by Food Network and the Cooking Channel with proceeds going to No Kid Hungry and the Food Bank for New York City. The festival has raised more than $10.5 million to combat hunger, and there are constant reminders that the event supports a worthy cause which made me feel good as I stalked my favorite Food Network personalities and sampled wine, beer, tequila, vodka and more…and of course there was food too.

More than 80 events around New York City are part of the four-day festival from hands-on cooking classes and competitions to private dinners with renowned chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. My mom and I attended a few events, including the rooftop Iron Chef Showdown where we sampled food showcasing the flavors of autumn from more than 30 chefs, including broccoli tacos, celery root soup, butternut squash pasta and carrot turnovers. My mom is a huge Broadway fan so we attended the Broadway brunch where we enjoyed food, drink and live performances from several Broadway shows.

Now that I’ve been to the New York City Wine and Food Festival, I feel like I’ve really seen it all when it comes to food and wine festivals, and I can’t wait to go back for more. My mom and I already planning our trip to next year’s festival. In the meantime I will continue to explore all of the great food and wine that Arizona has to offer.