The New York City Wine & Food Festival (NYCWFF) is the ultimate food and wine festival for foodies and partygoers. It is a four-day celebration that brings together some of the best food, celebrity chefs, culinary demonstrations, late-night parties, and libations to the Big Apple.
NYC Wine & Food Festival Dates
The NYC Wine & Food Festival was on October 12-15th at Pier 86 home of the Intrepid Museum located in Hudson River Park.
New York City Wine & Food Festival Cost
The price for NYCWFF ranges from $135 to $245 depending on the event and day. Admission includes unlimited food tastings and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Capital One Card holders can purchase early entry tickets, and get access to their exclusive lounge upon entry, and Exclusive Cardholder Events and Experiences
New York City Wine & Food Festival Events
Events at NYCWFF consist of walk-around tastings, intimate dinners, grand tasting and culinary demos, brunches & lunches, pier parties, master classes, cocktail parties, trade shows, and signature events indoors and outdoors. There are even events catered to families.
For this year’s NYC Wine & Food Festival, I attended three events: Peroni’s Taste of Italy presented by Stella Italian Cheese hosted by Alex Guarnaschelli and Gabriele Bertaccini, Tacos & Tequila hosted by the Cast of the Kitchen with a special appearance by Aaron Paul, and Bryan Cranston, and BACARDĺ presents JJ Johnson’s The Cookout: Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary Celebration featuring DJ CASSIDY, Rev Run, Ice-T, DJ MICK, Tamron Hall & Angela Yee. Here is a brief overview of the events I attended.
Thursday, October 12th: Peroni’s Taste of Italy
My first event was Peroni’s Taste of Italy which included the chefs from the Food Network show “Ciao House”, Alex Guarnaschelli and Gabriele Bertaccini. The pier was transformed into a Little Italy itself and we were fed all types of Italian food by some of the best Italian restaurants in NYC.
The servings were hearty and hefty. Our favorite Nonna, from Nonna Dora’s Pasta Bar, did cooking demonstrations making fresh pasta, we enjoyed wine tastings of Peroni, and world-renowned chefs welcomed ticket-holders with smiles and unlimited samples. Some of my favorites were the Tuna Tartare, Ravioli, and cake from Settepani Bakery and Restaurant.
Saturday, October 14th: Tacos & Tequila.
My favorite tastings had a traditional taco taste with a twist. Tacos Mahal made Indian-style Tacos from Chicken Tiki masala and roti as a taco replacement. It was definitely the crowd favorite given the long lines and running out of food twice. They also offered a delicious Chai Latte drink.
Han Dynasty offered a delicious Scallion Pancake. I went back for 3 servings and they too ran out of food. The drinks, entertainment, and the scenery reminded me of downtown Cabo, Mexico.
My favorite dessert was the hot Bread Pudding from Dylan’s Bakery. It was so delicious, I put extra in my purse for later and I intend on ordering from them soon.
Sunday, October 15th: The Cookout: Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
NYC is the birthplace of Hip-Hop and 2013 marked its 50th anniversary. To close out NYCWFF on Saturday night, James Beard Award-winning chef JJ Johnson and Rev Run, founding member of Run DMC and star of the TV show “Sunday Suppers,” hosted The Cookout. The event included some of the best Black chefs in New York City as they showcased their signature dishes. My belly was full and I danced and sang the night away to old and new-school Hip-Hop.
Overall the New York City Wine and Food Festival was delectable and I am looking forward to going again next year. One thing I loved about NYCWFF was its mission for a greater cause. NYCWFF partnered with God’s Love We Deliver, a NYC-based organization that cooks and delivers meals for residents of New York City who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves. Annually, NYCWFF has generated more than $14.8 million for its charitable causes with one hundred percent of the Festival’s net proceeds supporting its mission to EAT. DRINK. FEED NYC.
