Earlier this year, the Charleston Wine + Food Festival (CHSWF) announced “The Sizzle,” a series of summer events, kicking off this month with a series of workshops with more events planned for July and August.
Tickets for the July and August events are on sale now.
“The goal is not just to have a place for people to interact with Charleston Wine + Food brands for five days each March,” said Alyssa Maute Smith, executive director of CHSWF. “We want to engage more with the local food and beverage industry, and with locals and tourists, throughout the year.”
Guests can choose from 11 experiences, including four bar takeovers, two lunches/brunches, three cooking classes and two signature events. Prices range from $75 for a bar takeover with King BBQ on July 17th to up to $165 for a “big boozy brunch” with NOLA chefs Fredo Nogueira (Cane & Table) and Neil Bodenheimer (Cure) on August 18th.
Programming is seasonal, with “The Best Damn Ceviche” cooking class ($135) by chef Shawn Bryan (CudaCo) on July 18th and “Chilled Red Summer Happy Hour” ($95) by Graft sommelier on August 6th showcasing the summer staple of “fresh seafood and chilled wine.”
“Summers in Charleston are really hot… but for residents here, the summer heat is something they embrace,” Smith said. “We wanted to take that same fun theme and create some hot, exciting events that are perfect for the Charleston summer season.”
Smith noted that these summer events offer things that can’t be found at the March festival, such as fresh, seasonal produce and seafood that isn’t available in the early spring, and that spreading out the events over several months gives the CHSWF team “room to breathe and be creative” that they don’t necessarily get during the March festival, he said.
“We’re able to be really intentional with our programming,” she said. “On the industry side, [the F&B community] That’s something I want to emphasize.”
As well as the festival itself, The Sizzle will feature several larger signature events, including a Black Tie BBQ ($125) at Union Station on August 9. CHSWF encourages guests to dress up in “bow ties, ball gowns, cowboy boots or denim on denim” for an evening filled with barbecue, cold ranch water and chilled wine.
There are still a few tickets left for this month’s events. If you’re interested in a beverage workshop ($125) covering both wine and olive oil, save your seat for “Of Wine + Olive Oil: A Croatian Celebration” on June 27 at 7 p.m. Another beverage workshop ($115), “Amore Amaro!”, will take place on June 29 at 6 p.m. and will delve into the history of the staple Italian beverage. Both workshops will be held at the CHSWF headquarters at 635 Rutledge Avenue.
Smith said she enjoys seeing local people attend workshops and events, then return to local bars and restaurants afterward. “You form instant bonds that can last for years,” she said. “That’s what I love about the festival, and I think it would be really great if we could bring that little bit of excitement outside of the festival.”
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