The eighth annual New York City Wine & Food Festival, held October 15 to 18, once again featured chef-hosted dinners, walk-around tastings, late-night parties, and seminars at venues across the city, with the larger events taking place at the main culinary campus located at Piers 92 and 94 in Midtown. The four-day festival, with the Food Network and Cooking Channel as its title sponsors, included returning fan favorites like Jets & Chefs: the Ultimate Tailgate hosted by Mario Batali and the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite.
New in 2015, Mexico joined the festivities as the culinary destination of the year, a new designation created this year. The country's cuisine was showcased at three events including a special pavilion at the Grand Tasting, which featured Mexican and American chefs teaming up to offer a collaborative interpretation of Mexican flavors; a dinner with chefs Enrique Olvera and Jordi Roca; and Tacos & Tequila hosted this year by Aarón Sánchez.
Other new offerings added to this year’s program included the Sweet Masquerade hosted by Dominique Ansel and Pecko Zantilaveevan, Veg Out With Hungryroot hosted by Haylie Duff, and the Art of Tiki: a Cocktail Showdown presented by Cocktail Kingdom hosted by Emeril Lagasse.
In addition to the eating and cooking, brands, sponsors, and partners, such as Delta, Samsung, Coca-Cola, and Ronzoni, presented customized activations and integrations that catered to each event's crowd and theme.
All proceeds from the festival benefit Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign and the Food Bank for New York City.