St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival returns May 8-12

The tasty food, the wine and the merriment are back. The fourth annual St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival presented by Publix will take place on May 8-12.

It will highlight celebrity guest chefs, local chefs, celebrity winemakers/proprietors, live music, artisans, farmers, local craft spirits and beers, along with renowned wine, spirits and beer brands from around the globe. And it’s important to note that tickets include all food and beverage tastings.

“What we’ve tried to do is really, in a five-day period, give everybody a taste of everything that a bigger festival would offer, but on a smaller scale,” said festival founder and director Jan Gourley.

About 3,000 people are expected to attend.

The festival offers a wide variety of events for all tastes and budgets, from large scale tasting events to intimate learning experiences. Guests can also save nearly 40% with festival ticket packages (availability is limited). Patrons attending Friday and Saturday festivities can save an additional $10 on those tickets by entering the promo code PVR10, named for The Ponte Vedra Recorder.

TV personality and celebrity chef Tiffany Derry will participate in several events, including Smoke on the Walk, and will host a cooking demonstration at the Saturday Grand Tasting’s Publix Cooking Demo Stage.

Derry appeared on season seven of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” earning the title of “fan favorite” and finishing in the top four. Her quiet confidence, warm Southern charm and culinary expertise made her a natural selection for “Top Chef: All-Stars,” where she was again a finalist.

She went on to more television appearances on shows such as “Chopped,” “Chopped Kids,” “The Great American Recipe,” “Beat Bobby Flay,” “Tournament of Champions,” “The Great American Soul Food Cook-off,” “Bar Rescue,” “Top Chef Junior,” “Top Chef Amateurs” and more.

In 2016, she and business partner Tom Foley founded T2D Concepts, which operates her current restaurants in Texas: Roots Chicken Shak and Roots Southern Table and her spice and apparel line.

Here’s a look at the St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival schedule: 

• Wednesday, May 8: “River Walk Tastings” in the historic district at San Sebastian Winery and the Homewood Suites St. Augustine San Sebastian from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Includes souvenir glass, with trolley shuttle, live music and food-and-drink tastings at both venues. The progressive tasting tours will start at both locations this year. Taste delicious bites from La Cocina International Restaurant and more.
• Thursday, May 9: “Harvest Awards & Tastings” at Bozard Lincoln, 550 Outlet Mall Blvd., St. Augustine, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. This is an opportunity to taste fare from some of Northeast Florida’s best restaurants, presented by St. Johns Food Service and Jacksonville Magazine. A curated group of restaurants has been invited to participate. A group of culinary judges will officiate as the restaurants compete for the Harvest Award. Guests will receive a wine glass.
• Friday, May 10: “Epicurean Master Classes” at Publix, 170 Village Commons Drive, St. Augustine, from noon to 1 p.m. Foley Family Wines, wine pairing with charcuterie and cheese will be featured. Veterans United Craft Brewery Tasting & Pairing will be held 1:30 to 2 p.m. Master classes are part of every really big food and wine festival, said Gourley, adding, “It’ll be really, really cool.”
• Friday, May 10: “Smoke on the Walk” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Walk of Champions, 1 World Golf Place, St. Augustine. This all-inclusive showcase features the Southeast’s most celebrated chefs and grill masters with wine, beer and spirits. Live music will be provided by Remedy Tree. Enjoy unlimited beverage tastings in a souvenir glass, along with delicious grilled, smoked and roasted gourmet bites — all included in the ticket price.
• Saturday, May 11: "St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival, Grand Tasting” from 2 to 5 p.m. at Walk of Champions, 1 World Golf Place, St. Augustine. These all-inclusive culinary and beverage tastings will be offered in the beautiful lakefront surroundings of the Walk of Champions, the centerpiece of World Golf Village. Tickets include a souvenir cup for unlimited beverage tastings of more than 300 wines, beers and spirits. There will be live music on the Jacksonville Magazine Music Stage from the band Chillula. Other highlights include the new “Taste of Tallahassee” and the Champions Brand Brews Alley. The cooking demonstrations on the Publix Cooking Demo Stage are set for 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. with Tiffany Derry and 4 to 4:30 p.m. with Christine Seely, St. Johns Food Service. About 15 restaurants are expected to participate. Guests can vote for their favorite tasting bites and drinks in the People’s Choice Harvest Awards, presented by St. Johns Food Service and Jacksonville Magazine.
• Sunday, May 12: “Sunday Mother’s Day Jazz Brunch,” a family-friendly event, will be held 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again at 1-3 p.m. at the St. Johns County Convention Center, 500 S. Legacy Trail. The all-inclusive priced ticket includes live music, brunch buffet with carving station, indulgent sides, made-to-order omelet station, seafood station and a variety of desserts. There will be a Bloody Mary bar, champagne, mimosas and unlimited beverage stations that include wine, beer, spirits, coffee, iced tea and soft drinks. In addition, moms will receive a rose upon arrival.

“It’s great having the Mother’s Day brunch,” said Gourley. “It’s just a great way to end the festival.”

Gourley created her first food and wine festival in 2013 in Savannah, Georgia. It was a success — that is, until COVID-19 forced it to shut down.

Around that time, the St. Johns Cultural Council approached Gourley, asking her to create a similar event here. The rest is, as they say, history.

Since establishing the festival, Gourley has gone on to found the Louisiana Food & Wine Festival in Lake Charles, Louisiana, (set for Sept. 19-22 this year), and Whiskey, Wine & Wildlife in Vilano Beach, which is set for Nov. 7-10 this year.

The St. Augustine Food + Wine Festival is made possible in part by support from St. Johns Cultural Council, Florida’s Historic Coast: St. Augustine/Ponte Vedra and a 2024 St. Johns County Tourist Development Grant.

The festival’s primary official nonprofit partner is Vilano Beach Main Street, a 501(c)3 organization. The festival donates a portion of ticket sales and 100% of the Main Event’s silent auction proceeds to Vilano Beach Main Street. The festival has also created a culinary scholarship with its nonprofit partner, First Coast Technical College.

The most up-to-date festival information is available on the website, staugustinefoodandwinefestival.com, and the festival’s social media channels: Facebook, Instagram and X.

Read about St. Johns Food Service and its participation by clicking HERE.