Music City Food & Wine Program 2025

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

FRIDAY

FEAST: A SUPPER TO SAVOR

April 25 from 6:00pm - 9:00pm • Centennial Park

Our VIP Kick-Off Event

*Culinary Connoisseur Pass Holders Only

Indulge in an evening of culinary decadence as you dine al fresco at Centennial Park. Our FEAST kick-off supper will be curated for the culinary connoisseur and presented in partnership with some of the best chefs and wine experts in Nashville. Experience a multi-course seated dinner, cocktail and wine pairings while raising funds for our charitable partners and exceptional entertainment.

SATURDAY

GRAND TASTING

April 26 • 6:00pm - 9:30pm • Centennial Park

VIP Entry 5:30pm

General Admission 6:00pm

The Heart of the Festival - Grand Tasting and Iron Fork Competition

Saturday will host the festival’s Grand Tasting with sampling booths from 50plus local restaurants, bars and sponsoring beverage brands. Guests will get to watch the Iron Fork Chef competition and Mixology Competition take place, bid in our chef’s plate charity auction, experience specialty wine pairings, sip on dozens of cocktails, try new wines and local brews while enjoying unlimited food.

SUNDAY

FOOD FAIRE MARKET

April 27 from 10:00am - 3:00pm • Centennial Park

Free to attend • Family and pet friendly

Eat and shop until you drop at Food Faire, a gourmet market of locally made provisions. Peruse dozens of vendors selling goods, snacks and specialty treats. Munch it up at the Brunch Garden then stick around and watch the main stage for chef demonstrations and panels. Don’t miss spirit seminars, local cookbook author recipe signings, live music and more!

VIP BRUNCH GARDEN

April 27 from 10:00am - 12:30pm • Centennial Park

Weekend VIP Ticket Holders Only

Our VIP Brunch Garden, Presented by Puckett’s Restaurant, will host special brunch bite and cocktail offerings only for Weekend VIP and Culinary Connoisseur pass holders. Enjoy reserved seating, delicious sips and bites and reserved seating to watch the Main Stage demos.

DINING EXPERIENCES

INTIMATE DINNERS

Wednesday, April 23 and Thursday, April 24

Hosted at participating restaurants

Exceptional restaurants and chefs will invite guests to indulge in specialty pairings dinners across the city at select establishments on Wednesday and Thursday evening, featuring beverage pairings, chef led conversations and more.

BIG GAY BRUNCH

Saturday, April 26

Hosted at participating restaurants

Start your Saturday with delicious food, brunch cocktails and over-the-top entertainment at your choice of a handful of local establishments hosting their version of the biggest, loudest and proudest brunches in town.

INTIMATE DINNERS

WEDNESDAY APRIL 23 AND

THURSDAY APRIL 24

AT PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS

*Reservations for these events are separate from admission to the festival in the park

A CUT ABOVE: AN INTIMATE BOURBON STEAK EXPERIENCE

Wednesday, April 23

Experience an extraordinary evening at Bourbon Steak Nashville as Executive Chef Travis Tanner presents an exclusive dining experience for MCFW guests, showcasing his masterful culinary artistry. Set in our Rye private dining room, where breathtaking floor-to-ceiling views of the Nashville skyline create an unforgettable ambiance, this intimate event features a meticulously curated five-course menu, available for one night only.

A CULINARY COLLABORATION

DINNER FEATURING CHEFS

MARK GRIMES & SEAN

FINLEY

Thursday, April 24

Join Deacon’s New South’s own Chef Mark Grimes and guest Chef Sean Finley for an unforgettable six-course dining experience. This exclusive evening showcases the refined Southern elegance of Deacon’s, perfectly complemented by Chef Finley’s masterful approach to big game cuisine, delivering a menu that is both bold and exquisitely crafted.

MAKE RESERVATIONS

MUSICCITYFOODANDWINEFEST.COM/INTIMATE-DINNERS

CHATEAU MARMAR AT MARGOT CAFE AND BAR!

Wednesday, April 23

Chateau Marmar pops up again! Imagine thisNashville’s tastiest Meat & 3 Classics reimagined with French Ingredients. Emphasizing the “South” in the South of France. As always-utilizing local farm produce and seasonality our menu will meld French bistro classics with Nashville’s iconic meat & 3 standards. Bon Appétit Y’all!

AN EVENING WITH NELSON’S GREEN BRIER DISTILLERY

Thursday, April 24

Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery is teaming up with Barrique Blending and Brewing to take you on an exciting adventure where craft brewing meets craft distilling. Following a successful collaboration on a barrel-aged barleywine and barleywine-aged bourbon, they’re joining forces once more. Join in for a special MCFW edition of Green Brier’s very popular Thursday Night Supper Club. Be ready to indulge your appetite and quench your thirst!

UNDER THE SEA AT MAIZ DE LA VIDA

Wednesday, April 23

Explore an evening “Under the Sea” at Maiz for our Mexican Marisqueria night. For one night only experience coastal Mexican seafood in Nashville. Inspired by famed culinary regions in Mexico such as Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Veracruz. Enjoy a four course menu featuring a variety of prime seafood flown to Nashville from the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

AN EVENING WITH CHEF VIVEK SURTI OF TAILOR

Thursday, April 24

This special MCFW dinner will feature an Indian BBQ at Tailor. The menu will spotlight a combination of Southern and Indian grilling and smoking techniques and flavors and will end with a special dessert course collaboration with Van Leeuwen Ice Cream’s pistachio flavor sandwiched between two of Tailor’s signature nankhatai cookies. A portion of proceeds will benefit API Middle Tennessee.

TABLE TALK: CHEFS DISH ON INTIMATE DINNERS

Much of the buzzy fun of the Music City Food & Wine Festival (MCFW) is being in a crowd — seeing an old friend from across Centennial Park, or bonding with a new friend over a favorite shared bite. But that’s not the only way to experience the artistry that Nashville chefs bring to the table.

A handful of chefs are hosting intimate dinners at their tables, places where you can take your time and see how they cook before all of the festival festivities begin.

At chef Vivek Surti’s Tailor in Germantown, every dinner is always intimate. The restaurant has just 36 seats and emphasizes storytelling in its menu every night. So Surti is bringing that ethos to MCFW. His April 24 Indian barbecue dinner combines his own personal expertise with Indian cuisine and draws on the depth of pitmaster knowledge in Tennessee, including from Nashville restaurant owner Pat Martin. Tailor is offering two seatings so more people get to experience the intimate evening. The Tailor menu will spotlight that combination of Southern and Indian grilling and smoking techniques with a special dessert course collaboration with Van Leeuwen Ice Cream’s pistachio flavor sandwiched between two of Tailor’s signature nankhatai cookies. Those cookies are made with brown butter, cardamom and pistachio, offering the right sandwich for the pistachio ice cream.

“It is utilizing the smoking techniques and the things that I love about Southern barbecue, as well as the grilling traditions that exist in India and trying to put them together in a way that gives reverence to both cultures,” Surti says.

It’s rare for people to grill food for one person, he adds. There’s community that happens when people gather around a live fire and cook something, and a party that happens because of that. A portion of proceeds from the Tailor intimate dinner will benefit API Middle Tennessee.

“It should be a fun experience when everyone is able to taste all these things that we’re pulling off the grill,” he says.

“The intimate dinners allow festivalgoers to continue the festival outside the ‘normal’ perimeter of the festival,” agrees Hadley Long, executive chef at Margot Café and Bar in East Nashville, which is hosting another one of the intimate dinners. “Here at Margot, one of the coolest things that delineates us from other restaurants is that we change our menu every single day here.”

Long and his team are constantly monitoring everything, even the weather, to determine whether they are going to serve hot food or cold food or what produce they’ll be able to source from the farms with which they work.

“Through this dinner, specifically, we are going to lean into Nashville, and as an homage to the meat-and-three culture that exists here in town, we’re

going to do a French version of meatand-three in the Margot way,” Long says. They call their mash-up “Chateau MarMar,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to owner Margot McCormack’s name and also to Los Angeles’ famous Chateau Marmont.

That interpretation, offered April 23, is part French picnic, part meat-andthree. The menu calls for barbecuing whole ducks, serving the duck as if it were pork barbecue. And there’s what might be the ultimate French/Southern combo ever: Champagne-fried chicken. Of course, those dishes will be served with biscuits and cornbread.

“We don’t normally focus on Southern cuisine and the vibe of the meat-and-three so we’re really looking forward to it,” Long says of the opportunity to cook something different for MCFW diners.

Other intimate dinners on the schedule include meals at Bourbon Steak (April 23), Deacon’s New South (April 24), Maiz de la Vida (April 23) and Nelson’s Greenbrier Distillery (April 24). As befitting the MCFW name, the intimate dinners will feature perfectly paired wines expertly selected by the team at Corkdorks Nashville.

GRATITUDE IS CENTRAL TO CHEF DUNG “JUNIOR” VO’S MEALS

When Chef Dung “Junior” Vo was a child, his mother didn’t do that thing where everyone had to eat what everyone else was eating around the table. In fact, just the opposite. She’d make different dishes for people.

“My mom used to say she loved us all the same, but loved us differently,” Vo says.

Perhaps that early seed was part of what made hospitality so central to his life and helped him create restaurants, with his business partners, that are in demand not just for their food (although that’s definitely a reason), as well as for the way they treat their guests and their staff.

He and his team are behind two of East Nashville’s most coveted reservations, Noko and Kase X Noko. The latter, a prix-fixe omakase restaurant with just 14 seats, sells out within minutes of reservations being available.

“It’s been a blessing, and we’re really grateful for it,” Vo says.

Gratitude goes all the way around. Part of the team’s ethos is to help make hospitality jobs more sustainable for workers, which means offering access to therapy, gym memberships and even travel stipends.

“Travel helps change people’s perspectives,” he says, noting that staff bring back ideas when they return to work. “We want to create a space where people want to come to work, not have to come to work.”

Noko’s employee turnover is a phenomenal 12.5 percent (as compared to an industry average of 75 percent).

Vo’s grateful, too, for the opportunity to participate in the Music City Food & Wine Festival (MCFW), both at Friday night’s FEAST dinner and at the Grand Tasting on Saturday. At the Grand Tasting, he’ll be preparing a bluefin tuna nigiri, just like what is served at the restaurant, and he looks forward to talking to folks who come through as he’s cooking.

FEAST is a large seated dinner, with room for 250 happy diners, so he’ll have less one-on-one time with his guests than normal, but he will still get to provide what he thinks is the ultimate dining experience. FEAST will be held outdoors in Centennial Park. Cooking outside with all of his equipment is not easy, nor is it something Vo is used to. But he’ll be alongside Hal Holden-Bache and Chris Crary, who both have experience preparing meals under the stars. They’re making three courses and passed appetizers served family style.

“I think family style is the best way to eat,” Vo says. “Everything on the Noko menu is shareable, and you can customize it in a way that is unique to each party. Eating together and talking together is part of how we all get along.”

BIG GAY BRUNCH

SATURDAY, APRIL 26

AT PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS

*Reservations for these events are separate from admission to the festival in the park

Start your Saturday with delicious food, brunch cocktails and over-the-top entertainment at your choice of a handful of local establishments hosting their version of the best brunches in town. From Disco brunch, to a special menus from beloved restaurants that don’t normally host brunch, there is a fun option no matter your style. Make reservations and learn more!

ACME FEED AND SEED

DISCO BRUNCH

Boogie on down to Acme’s rooftop for a disco themed brunch! Brunch specials, live DJ, rainbow mimosa bar & more! No reservations required — free entry & all ages!

L.A. JACKSON

ULTIMATE DAYTIME DANCE PARTY

Big Gay Brunch is taking over L.A. Jackson! As part of Music City Food & Wine Festival, we’re throwing the ultimate daytime dance party. Get ready for brandnew brunch bites, food and cocktails specials and good vibes courtesy of our DJ!

NELSON’S GREEN BRIER DISTILLERY

SATURDAY BRUNCH

Saturday brunch is calling at Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery! Join us for the Pink Pony Club cocktail, big enough for sharing, and a menu that satisfies both sweet and savory cravings. Dive into our Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread and No. 5 Burger while enjoying live music from Young Music City.

Check out the performance times: 10 a.m. - Lindsey Hinkle; 11 a.m. - Karegan; noon - Luke-Michael; 1 p.m. - Olivia Ruden; 2 p.m. - Zoe Cummins

SUZY WONG’S DRAG’N BRUNCH

DRAG’N BRUNCH

Experience a new way to brunch at Suzy Wong’s Drag’n Brunch! Drag’n Brunch is a two-hour experience filled with food, drinks, drag and fun! Unlike other drag brunches, there is no separate charge for food. Each seating includes our one-ofa-kind interactive show with three fabulous drag queens, shared appetizers for you and your friends, plus your choice of individual entree.

THE RESTAURANT AT W HOTEL

W BIG GAY BRUNCH

Join The Restaurant at W Nashville for Big Gay Brunch, part of the Music City Food & Wine Festival on Saturday, April 26. Indulge in a delicious brunch buffet, featuring all the favorites, while sipping on bottomless mimosas and Bloody Mary’s. With DJ Afrosheen spinning live beats from 10 a.m. -2 p.m., The Restaurant at W Nashville is turning the typical weekend brunch into a celebration of food, drinks and good vibes.

HARRIET’S NASHVILLE

HARRIET’S BIG GAY BRUNCH

Start your Saturday with delicious food, brunch cocktails and over-the-top entertainment at Harriet’s Nashville. As a part of the city’s biggest, loudest and proudest brunches in town celebrating Music City Food & Wine Festival, head up to the rooftop to taste the brand new Harriet’s brunch menu featuring tequila and espresso martini towers, sharable brunch bites, live DJ sets and more. See you up top!

MARGOT CAFE & BAR

MARGOT’S BIG GAY BRUNCH

Come as you are! We welcome everyone to come enjoy our delicious Brunch pop up! Feed your soul with our delicious menu featuring the freshest spring options and comfort classics- Crepes, Omelettes, French Fries and Champagne and much more!

THE MYINT FAMILY IS READY TO FEST

Arnold Myint goes to a lot of food festivals. As a nationally known chef, with a TV presence and a cookbook coming out later this year, Arnold and his take on Thai cooking are in demand when festival planners are looking for culinary luminaries across the country (or globe) to bring in crowds.

He loves it. He loves to travel and loves to make food and talk to people about food. But the fact that Music City Food & Wine Festival (MCFW) is on his home turf, and that the chefs featured are folks, like himself, who live in Nashville and have restaurants in Nashville, makes this festival even more special to him. And it’s one of the reasons he wanted to participate on many levels, with his sister Anna Myint — with whom he owns International Market, their Thai restaurant near Belmont University.

“It’s not me as a visiting chef coming in, or other chefs coming in from other places. It’s curated with locals,” he says. “The talent we’re celebrating is Nashville. That makes me very proud as an elder in the industry here.”

Fans of International Market will find them several places at MCFW, including at the Grand Tasting, where Arnold will be cooking an instant ramen noodle salad. He uses MAMA, the Thai brand of instant noodles.

“It’s a very spicy kind of citrusy salad, almost like a pasta salad, but Thai style, and it’s fun,” he says. “It’s got shrimp and pork and chili paste and chilies and lime and herbs and instant noodles. It’s good.” The recipe is in Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home, his cookbook that will be published in October. The noodles were a mainstay of his diet when Arnold lived in Thailand in his 20s.

Arnold is a James Beard–nominated chef and was a contestant in Season 7 of Top Chef. But most Nashvillians

know him because of the work he and his sister Anna are doing to continue their family legacy by both preserving and updating the foods served at International Market.

Anna has retail industry experience, including working at mega department store Macy’s, and she’s using her eye for merchandising to create a one-of-akind booth for the Food Faire. Sunday’s Food Faire is a gourmet market with free admission, and offers the opportunity to shop and stock up to cook at home. Anna has designed a special pop-up Thai market, stocked with sauces and spices and other fun products, a handful of which are available at International Market regularly, and many others that she is bringing in for the event. The dream pop-up offers folks the chance to take home goods to cook at home after they’ve been inspired to cook after a weekend rubbing elbows with the city’s best chefs.

In addition to those high-profile activities, Arnold is also leading a panel on food businesses that have spanned generations in Nashville, drawing on his own experience carrying on his mother’s cooking as well as others forging similar paths with their families.

“I’ve taken over my family business, because I love it, luckily. I feel grateful to have that story behind why I do what I do every day,” he says. “The motivation behind it that’s interesting.”

Arnold looks to many other Nashville chefs — whom he is excited to see all in one place at MCFW — to remind him how to stay connected to the past and also to keep trying new things. He cites chef Deb Paquette of etch, for example, who talks about playing in the kitchen every single day as a way to try out new techniques. (Etch is another restaurant that will be offering food at the Grand Tasting.)

“If I just reopened my mother’s restaurant, we would probably be doing

fine. But we don’t want to just stay stagnant,” Arnold says. “We want to stay current.”

In addition to Anna and Arnold’s contributions to the festival, Arnold is also looking forward to tasting what his peers put on a plate.

“We never get to go to our friends’

restaurants, because we’re always working the same schedule. So what I appreciate from these festivals is getting to spend one-on-one time, face-to-face time in an environment that is in our wheelhouse, a party setting, with people I love and admire,” he says.

Germantown Café Fun Fact:

Founded in 2003, Germantown Café was one of the neighborhood’s first swankier spots and set the scene for what became Germantown’s culinary transformation. But did you know Germantown Café now has siblings? The fine folks who now own Germantown Café also own Park Cafe in Sylvan Park (also a Grand Tasting entrant) and Karrington Rowe in Brentwood (yep, you guessed it, also a Grand Tasting entrant). Many favorite dishes from Germantown Café and Park Cafe can be found at Karrington Rowe, too.

Hattie B’s Hot Chicken. Nashville’s most signature dish is served with a variety of spice levels and a a choice of sides

HEARTS. All-day cafe inspired by the menus of those in Australia

Henley Fun Fact:

Henley. Modern American brasserie using French techniques and local ingredients

Holston House. American food made with ingredients from regional farmers using a Southern twist on recipes

Indaco Italian Food & Wine. Woodfired pizzas, classic pastas, plus housecured meats and sausages

International Market. Siblings Anna and Arnold Myint serve both the classic Thai dishes of their youth and modernized interpretations

Karrington Rowe. Salmon, fried green tomatoes, French onion soup and other classics for a business lunch or dinner out

Las Palmas. Beloved Nashville Mexican food eatery, with all the classics and lots of chips

Limo Peruvian Eatery. Find traditional Peruvian food, including empanadas, lomo saltado, and ceviche

Maiz de la Vida. The nixtamal tortillas made from heirloom corn are just the foundation for these Mexican dishes

Anywhere you sit at Henley is a good table. But the Midtown restaurant has a secret door (we’re not telling where) that leads to a secret chef’s table experience in Henley’s kitchen, served by Henley executive chef Kristin Beringson. She serves 14 courses of culinary twists and turns, and her guests never know where they’ll end up. That explains why it is called Rabbit Hole!

Limo Peruvian Eatery Fun Fact:

The ceviche served at Limo, East Nashville’s Peruvian favorite, cures in just a few minutes, thanks to the use of Japanese techniques. In the old days, using native fruits, the process would have taken weeks. At Limo there are seven different variations of ceviche on the menu.

Margot Cafe & Bar. East Nashville’s longtime Southern/ French bistro

The Mockingbird. American comfort food served with cheeky names and a sense of humor

No Fuss Taco. Slow-cooked birria tacos from a mobile food truck that makes its way around town

Noko. Asian food prepared over live fire and served share-plate-style

O-Ku. Traditional Japanese sushi as well as other Asian dishes

Old Hickory Steakhouse. The signature restaurant at the Gaylord Opryland Resort is known for its steaks

Onda. Casual Korean fusion food served in Midtown

Park Cafe. Sylvan Park’s date-night spot, known for its salmon

The Restaurant at the W. This American brasserie offers options for indoor and outdoor dining

Ricey & Co. Sushi takeout, private dining and and more with an emphasis on fresh fish

Ruby Sunshine. Don’t forget to try the biscuits when you come for Ruby Brunch

Soho House Nashville. Making seasonal dishes and House Regulars for members and their guests

Southern Steak and Oyster. The name says it all: steaks, oysters and Southern specialties, plus a great happy hour

Sushi | Bar. Get ready for 17 courses at this omakase speakeasy

Tee Line. Cheer on your favorite teams on TV, or cheer yourselves as you curl or bowl while snacking on burgers and chicken sandwiches

The Rutledge. Steaks and American classics for a night on the town

Tio Fun. Mexican-inspired food on Buchanan Street

Tutti Da Gio. Sicilian recipes come to the table in Hendersonville and Hermitage

Two Ten Jack. Japanese-inspired pub (izakaya) with ramen and yakitori

Waldo’s Chicken & Beer. Southern fried & rotisserie chicken plus homemade sides and sauces

FOOD FAIRE

SUNDAY, APRIL 27

CENTENNIAL PARK

10:00AM TO 3:00PM

FREE TO ATTEND

FAMILY AND PET FRIENDLY

EAT. SIP. SHOP.

VIP BRUNCH

GARDEN

PRESENTED BY PUCKETT’S RESTAURANT

OPEN TO VIP PASS HOLDERS FROM 10AM TO 12:30PM

Start your Sunday sunny-side up in our Brunch Garden, presented by Puckett’s Restaurant. Weekend VIP and Culinary Connoisseur pass holders will be able to access our reserved seating area with special brunch bites and cocktails.

50+ ARTISAN FOOD VENDORS

Shop from dozens of Music Citybased food vendors selling items like hand blended teas, delicious pastas, hot sauces, jellies, jams and honeys. Snack on gourmet treats like milkshakes, stacked sandwiches and cheeses, hand spun gelato and so much more! Purchase thoughtful gifts and top-quality products from a lineup of artisans you won’t find gathered anywhere else.

CHEF SEMINARS AND DEMOS

While you shop the market, you’ll get to take in exceptional entertainment with our chef seminars and demonstrations, taking place all day long on the main stage! Watch as several of the city’s most talented chefs whip up a delicious dish (or two), and if you’re lucky and by the stage at the right time, you might even get to try a bite!

LOCAL COOKBOOK AUTHORS

PRESENTED BY PARNASSUS BOOKS

Stop by the Local Author Cookbook Corner, where dozens of Music City Based cookbooks will be available for purchase. Meet beloved authors, get your cookbook signed, stock up on local gifts and support our local bookstore and culinary community.

MAIN STAGE SCHEDULE

While you shop the market, you’ll get to take in exceptional entertainment with our chef-led demonstrations and panel discussions, taking place all day long on the main stage!

10:00 AM

Beyond the Buzz: Relationship Coffee with 8th & Roast

10:45 AM

Brunch Cocktails for a Crowd with Ivey Childers of Southbound Tequila

11:30 AM

Grilling Japanese Yakitori Style with Jess Benefield of Two Ten Jack

12:30 PM

Tortilla Time with Julio Hernandez of Maiz de la Vida

1:00 PM

Local Chefs Panel Discussion — More Details Coming Soon!

2:00 PM

Chef Brian Morris of Hattie B’s Hot Chicken

MARKET VENDORS

Shop till you drop from 50+ local food vendors, creators and purveyors. Visit our website for the most up to date list of our Food Faire Market Vendors!

80 Acres Farms

8th & Roast Coffee Co.

B.T. Leigh’s Sauces and Rubs

Bake to Belong

Blue Hound Brew

Boba Anri

Cantrip THC Setlzers

Chuala Tonic Water

City Juicery

Claremont Street Bao

Daddy’s Dogs

Eat Bubbles

EVOrginals

Gelatano

Hattie B’s Hot Chicken

Hawley Truckers

Homestead Gourmet

Humphreys Street Coffee

International Market 2

Katrin Tacos

Kentucky Mix

Kuhn Rikon

Loving Oven

Mac Shack

Marigold Popcorn

Merengon Colombia

New Berlin Eats

Parnassus Books

Pie Town Tacos

Pops Krazy Kettle Korn

Puckett’s Restaurant

Professor Bailey’s

Pimento Cheese

Quentin’s Sauce

Quirk N Co Donuts

Ramblin Bee

Rolled 4 Ever Ice Cream

Savannah Bee Company

Southernaire Market

Sweetwater Jams

Tanger Outlets

The Burro Churro

The Flavorsmith

The Grilled Cheeserie

Too Fresh

Ugly Bagel

Waldo’s Chicken & Beer

MORE FUN FROM OUR SPONSORS, EXPERIENCE WINE AND COCKTAIL SEMINARS, GRAB A COCKTAIL FROM THE EVENT BARS, TAKE IN LIVE MUSIC AND MORE.

SIP, SIP, HOORAY

There is no shortage of specialty cocktail offerings to enjoy at the festival! From delicious craft cocktails served at festival bars to sips of unique spirits at the Grand Tasting to special VIP only sips, you’ll get to try a variety of amazing libations.

Don’t miss the mixology competition on the Main Stage during the Grand Tasting, where three of Nashville’s best bartenders will compete with a secret ingredient and a random pairing of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Nelson’s Green Brier Whiskey and Southbound Tequila to make the best drink of the night. Looking for some alcohol alternative options to sip on? Make sure to visit the Chuala Tonic Water tent for special mocktail offerings and swing by Cantrip THC Seltzers to sample their buzzy but booze-free sodas..

TOAST TO BRUNCH WITH SOUTHBOUND TEQUILA’S IVEY CHILDERS

Ivey Childers knows how to make just the right cocktail for brunch. It’s not the classic Prosecco mimosa or the standard Bloody Mary, traditionally made with vodka. For more than a decade, the co-founder and CEO of Southbound Tequila has been perfecting her drink.

It features three kinds of citrus — lemon, grapefruit and navel orange — and Southbound Tequila, the official tequila of the Music City Food & Wine Festival (MCFW). It’s delicious and refreshing and great for chatting with friends over brunch, but it doesn’t “punch you in the face,” Childers says, the way people sometimes expect tequila to.

Childers has decades of experience in recipe development. She was once best-known for IveyCake, a dessert so popular it led her to make Carrie Underwood’s wedding cake and Katy Perry’s birthday cake. She started making herself a cocktail at home after work, or when friends came over. And she couldn’t get the tequila drinks just right. Either she used a budget brand, suffering an aftertaste and next-day aftereffects, or she used a premium bottle that was affordable only for special occasions.

“I wanted a brand that could do both,” she says.

So she did what any bold entrepreneur would do: She researched, she went to Mexico to learn more about tequila making, and then she created her own. (She has since sold IveyCake to one of her former employees.) Just as she taught herself recipe development and cake baking as a recent college grad, she taught herself the ins and outs of tequila. It took a while to find the right distillery to work with in Mexico.

She needed to explain that she was willing to sacrifice a little in efficiency for quality.

“If you cut corners somewhere in the process of tequila, you have to fix it in post,” she says.

Childers is a longtime supporter of the Nashville culinary community and is excited to see so many restaurants that carry Southbound Tequila at MCFW. She’ll be demoing those citrus drinks, which she aptly calls The Triple Threat, at the festival’s Food Faire on Sunday. In addition to showing off the taste of The Triple Threat, Childers, a consummate entertainer, will be showing festivalgoers how to batch cocktails. This hospitality trick allows you to serve fresh signature cocktails when you entertain — while doing lots of the prep in advance so you’re not stuck behind the bar and you can hang out with your guests. The demo and the cocktail are great ways to toast the end of a fun food weekend.