ATLANTA—It was a food frenzy at the 2022 Atlanta Food & Wine Festival (AF&WF), but would you really want it any other way at a fest with “food” and “wine” in its name? From Sept. 13-18, AF&WF hosted a series of intimate dinners, two grand evening events, signature tasting tents, and interactive demos helmed by notable chefs—all in “A Love Letter to the South,” the event’s theme. The production and management team tapped to bring that love letter to life? A21 (formerly Agency 21 Consulting).
For an inside look at the 2022 iteration of the six-day event—which marked the fest’s first full-sized return since 2019—BizBash sat down with A21’s founder and owner, Brett Friedman.
The "Love Letter to the South" theme was evident at the AF&WF's quintessential tasting tents, where the 8,000-plus hungry patrons in attendance could sample bites from chefs and pitmasters based in Dixieland.Photo: Rafterman Photography
Friedman cited the choose-your-own-adventure-style format of the AF&WF, where “guests had the option to curate their experience based on which days they attended the festival and which events they purchased tickets to. If they preferred a sit-down dinner with wine pairings and great conversation at some of the city’s most celebrated restaurants—with guest chefs traveling in from other cities—they could purchase a ticket to an intimate dinner.”
As part of AF&WF's programming, guests could purchase tickets to in-restaurant dining experiences curated to highlight a different cuisine or element of a culinary experience.Photo: Rafterman Photography
And each supper honored a different cuisine or element of a culinary experience, such as the farm-to-table meal spearheaded by chef Zeb Stevenson, a winner of Food Network’s Chopped and the executive chef and partner behind Atlanta’s Redbird. Titled “Straight From the Source,” the meal featured just that, with a menu that started with a roasted beet tartare with confit egg yolk, sourdough, and candied mustard as well as cucumbers in cashew dressing. Next up: gratin of chanterelle mushroom gnocchi, then a whole-roasted cauliflower in herbed yogurt, and a late summer vegetable vindaloo. For dessert: muscadine cremeux with buckwheat, dried figs, and cocoa granola.
With limited capacities and an in-restaurant meal, Friedman said the dinner option was “a great way to really experience culinary creativity and soak it all in.” Guests could also experience a taste of Israel or American cuisine as seen through a Spanish lens, just to name a few.
And with the eventgoers that prefer to be on their feet in mind, new to this year’s AF&WF were two evening soirees that both took place at Guardian Works. The first took place on Sept. 15 and was dubbed “Sliced: A Cut of Atlanta’s Best.” It celebrated—you guessed it—Dixieland’s favorite sliced foods. On the menu? Pizza, brisket, gourmet cheeses and fruits, quiche, lasagna, french toast, meatloaf, chicken pot pie, and a slew of desserts.
The best bite of chicken at the nighttime soiree won a trophy.Photo: Rafterman Photography
The following day, “Cluck’d: A Chicken & Cocktail Soirée” invited guests to indulge on bites of roasted, battered, barbecued, braised, and fried chicken prepared by 20-plus chefs based in the South. And, of course, what’s poultry without a pairing? Cue curated cocktails and a live DJ, which kept guests on the dance floor all night long.
New to this year's AF&WF were two evening events. One of them—dubbed “Cluck’d: A Chicken & Cocktail Soirée”—invited guests to indulge on bites of roasted, battered, barbecued, braised, and fried chicken prepared by 20-plus chefs based in the South.Photo: Rafterman Photography
Another particularly special element of the fest is the beneficiary. “This year, it was Children of Conservation—an organization working to provide nutrient-dense meals for children in Africa,” Friedman explained. “We’re proud to have raised thousands of dollars to support this organization and initiative.”
Want to experience a piece of the AF&WF pie? If you weren’t one of the 8,000-plus hungry guests in attendance this year, Friedman advises not to fret, as A21 “has a full team dedicated to all-things AF&WF, which is already beginning to work on 2023!”
To accompany each delectable bite, on-site brewers and mixologists curated cocktails for the perfect pairings.Photo: Rafterman Photography
