Have you ever had the pleasure of attending the New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort? We're attending for the first time this year, and are so excited!
The festival, held May 4 – 6th this year, is celebrating its 10th anniversary!
Tickets are on sale at www.njwinefoodfest.com; some highlights of the 3-day Festival include the following:
   | 5/4 Wine Cellar Dinner with Thomas Keller - Chef Thomas Keller and Marc Perrin of Chateau de Beaucastel join forces for an extraordinary night of cuisine and fine wine. Chef Keller and his team will prepare a multi-course dinner that will be paired with Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame and wines from Chateau de Beaucastel. Dessert by renowned Pastry Chef Michelle Karr-Ueoka (MW Restaurant, Honolulu). 5/4 ment’or 10th Anniversary Dinner - Join some of ment’or’s top chefs and supporters for a lively five-course dinner. Meet Top Chef fave Bryan Voltaggio, Daniel alum & James Beard nominee Gavin Kaysen, ment’or chefs Matthew Kirkley and Justin Cogley, and Martyna Krowicka. Each chef will present one course to be paired with boutique wines from around the world.5/4 Chef’s Garden Dinner - Spend the night with acclaimed Chef Michael White and one of New Jersey’s foremost culinary talents, Chef Anthony Bucco, for the opening night of the resort’s beautiful Chef’s Garden restaurant set outdoors amidst a one-acre working organic garden. 5/5 The Grand Tasting & VIP Grand Tasting – The Festival’s signature event, The Grand Tasting, will feature 50 restaurants from NYC, New Jersey, and beyond, along with 50 winemakers from around the world. The two floor VIP lounge will showcase America’s best, including Daniel, Per Se, the resort’s four-star Restaurant Latour and many more, along with premium wines, Champagnes and spirits. |
Held at Crystal Springs Resort, New Jersey’s premier culinary destination and only four-season resort with 2 hotels, 6 golf courses, 10 restaurants, a working farm and more, the Festival brings together world renowned chefs in a unique setting that highlights the resort’s commitment to local agriculture and showcases the best the Northeast has to offer. Past guest chefs have included Jose Andres, Daniel Boulud, Francis Mallman, David Bouley, Thomas Keller, David Kinch and more.
Also celebrating its 10th anniversary, Festival partner ment’or is a non-profit organization founded by Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller that is devoted to inspiring culinary excellence in young professionals and preserving the traditions and quality of cuisine in America. Every member of the ment’or Team USA, which competes in the biannual international Bocuse d’Or culinary competition, will be cooking togetherfor the first time. In past years, Team USA has included top chefs from Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, Café Boulud and many more.
In addition to Saturday evening's grand events, the festival will also host several other events and tastings, which are ticketed individually as follows:
Saturday May 5 Seminars, Tastings & Events
8am Chef & Winemaker Golf Tournament Play 18 holes with chefs and winemakers ($149, includes lunch)
8:30 & 10am Sip, Stretch & Sparkle Start the day with a yoga session and a glass of sparkling wine ($30)
10am Doughnuts & Coffee – Doughnuts from Montclair Bread Co. paired with coffee from NJ’s own Coffee Afficionado ($25)
11am Spring Foraging with local forager Heather Housemaker ($25)
12pm – 3pm Marketplace Lunch with local New Jersey wines and products served ($45)
12pm Perfect Pizza Pairings Build your own pizza! ($35)
12pm Pasture to Table with Fossil Farms and Trinchero wines ($40)
1pm Sake and Ramen featuring New Jersey’s own Ani Ramen ($40)
1pm Rose All Day Kick off rose season with selections from around the world ($45)
2pm 97 & Above Taste highly rated wines – all 97 points or above in Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate ($75)
2pm Building a Champagne Blend Pierre Casenave of Veuve Clicquot shows how wines from different plots and vintages are blended to create Veuve Clicquot NV Rose and Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame. ($45)
2pm The Art of Charcuterie Take a peek inside Crystal Springs’ charcuterie program and enjoy wines from The Hess Collection ($45)
3pm Krug Vertical Tasting This unique tasting will highlight three recent vintages – 2002, 2003, 2004 and the current release of Krug Grande Cuvee ($95)
3pm Uruguay Wines & American Beef Tastings of farm raised beef paired with the wines of Uruguay’s Bodega Garzon ($45)
3&4pm Garden State Culinary Throwdown (2 sessions) In each throwdown, 3 NJ chefs compete by cooking a dish from a basket of secret ingredients with the audience choosing the winner ($35)
4pm Raising the Bar cocktail seminar with cocktail enthusiast and author Beth Ritter Nydick of Blue Barn Kitchen ($45)
Sunday May 6
10am – 1pm Champagne Brunch A lavish, decadent brunch buffet accompanied by Champagne ($50).
Tickets are on sale at www.njwinefoodfest.com or call 855-503-0968
