1. Rammy Awards Gala
The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington made a format change to its June 6 recognition event for area restaurants. In lieu of presenting awards during a seated dinner, the honors were presented during a theater-style seated ceremony, which was followed by a buffet dinner in an adjacent ballroom at the Marriott Wardman Park. Some 1,500 guests attended.
2. Washington, D.C. International Wine and Food Festival
This 11th annual four-day show featured more than 280 domestic and international winemakers at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center on February 11 to 14. There were wine seminars for attendees, and several of Washington’s top chefs held cooking demonstrations.
3. Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show
Paula Deen, Tyler Florence, the Neelys, and Giada De Laurentiis are just a few of the big-name chefs that made the trip to Washington for this show alongside more than 250 exhibitors. The event returns to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on November 13 and 14.
4. Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation
Taste of the Nation sold out for the second straight year and again attracted 1,200 foodies to the National Building Museum on April 12. Guests tasted from 60 of the area’s top restaurants while raising more than $124,000 for local hunger-fighting organizations.
5. National Harbor Wine and Food Festival
The third annual festival expanded to two piers in National Harbor on June 12 and 13. The growth allowed planners to add a few more exhibitors and offer existing ones room to grow. With a new social media presence, organizers saw a fourfold increase in pre-festival online sales and increased attendance by nearly 2,000.
6. Safeway BBQ Battle
More than 100,000 people filled nearly eight blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue for the 18th annual BBQ competition and festival on June 26 and 27. The Safeway sampling pavilion housed more than 30 food sponsors, and two live music stages were also on hand. Next year’s battle will take over the same space on June 25 and 26.
