Craft Food and Wine Festival to showcase food artisans and chefs; here's what to expect

When making a charcuterie or butcher board, chefs like Aaron Winters of Sur La Table know one of the most important factors is to use local ingredients when possible.

Winters uses ingredients like goat cheeses from Bonnie Blue Farm. He also often pickles fruits and vegetables he picked up at the farmers market and uses them as garnishes for his butcher board.

Like Winters, Brad McCarley of City Block Salumeria also values using local ingredients when possible. He uses meats from local farms such as Home Place Pastures in Como, Mississippi, to make his salamis and cured meats.

Rizzo’s chef and owner Michael Patrick chooses local condiments like Lil’ Bit of Country’s chow chow when he doesn’t make his own recipe.

Each of these three chefs will participate in the Craft Food and Wine Festival on June 23.

What is this new food festival?

This new Memphis food festival celebrates local food artisans and their delicious creations. More than 40 vendors that include chefs and specialty foods companies will gather for an afternoon of tastings at The Columns at One Commerce Square in Downtown Memphis.

Event founder Cristina McCarter described the event as “a farmers market where you can taste everything.”

McCarter, who owns and operates City Tasting Tours, said she developed this event because she wanted to showcase local products. This new event is the evolution of the sold-out Butcher Board Festival she hosted last year at South Main Market.

“Instead of farm to table, it’s a farm to your board event,” she joked.

Each guest will receive a small wooden cutting board that will serve as their personal butcher board for the night. Guests are encouraged to place their samples on this keepsake wooden plate. 

“It also comes with a notch to hold your wine glass,” McCarter said.

What to expect

The event features some of Memphis’ best artisan food companies. Tastings of artisan breads, cheeses, fruit preserves, cured meats, sweets and more are paired with craft beer, cider and wines.

“When Cristina told me about this event, I knew right away it would be a different type of food event,” Patrick said. “She is showcasing a lot of local craft businesses you don’t really see at the normal tasting events around town.”

Cranes Nest River Apiaries will offer samples of  honey and honeycomb. Dave’s Bagels will serve bagels and pretzels. Jacko’s Pepper Jelly will pair flavored pepper jellies with various cheeses and meats. Tamboli Produce Co. will serve a variety of handmade Italian cheeses. Papa Bear Skins will be on hand to add a unique twist to your butcher board with flavored pork rinds.

Restaurants like Pontotoc Lounge will also participate.  They will offer a variety of their house-cured bacons at the event. 

Patrick said Rizzo’s will serving its popular andouille sausage with house-made pickled vegetables.

“We will be sampling several of our salamis and cured meats,” said McCarley of City Block Salumeria. “I am excited to be showcasing our cured meats made with meats from Home Place Pastures.”

Salami de Lucca (a Tuscan-style salami), Capicola, Mortadella and Country Pâté are a few of the cured meats that City Block Salumeria will sample at the event.

Winters will bring a selection of terrines and pâtés that includes a French-style Pâté de Campagne, a Chicken Liver Mousse Parfait and Pork Rillettes.

When asked why he is participating, he said, "It is a great opportunity to  meet local people making great food for Memphis."

Long Road Cider, Meddlesome Brewing Company and The Stemmed Glass will serve craft, seasonal Tennessee ciders, beers and wines to accompany your samples.

“We also have a Bloody Mary and Bloody Maria bar,” McCarter said. "Papi Joe’s Tennessee Pepper Sauce is making the Bloody Mary mix for the bar. Wok’n in Memphis is making the pickled veggies for the drinks.”

If you fall in love with something you taste, you can also purchase it to bring home. McCarter has added a pop-up shop to the event.   

To allow more people to attend the event but also keep it less crowded, McCarter divided the event into two 2-hour tasting sessions. The first tasting starts at 4 p.m. and the second starts at 6:30 p.m.

“My hope is that when people enjoy all the food at the event, they want to keep enjoying these locally made products," she said. "Now that they have met these vendors, I hope when they go home, they will consider these foods for their own events and parties."

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.

If you go

Craft Food and Wine Festival

When: June 23, tastings at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Where: The Columns at One Commerce Square, 40 S. Main St.

Tickets: $60. Must be 21 or older.

Online: craftfoodandwinefestival.com