Music City Food + Wine Is Back for Its Sixth Year This September

The Music City Food + Wine Festival is returning for its sixth year and the bulk of the local and guest chef lineup, along with events, was announced today. Tickets for the annual festival, which takes place Sept. 14 - 16, went on sale at 10 a.m. this morning.

Returning events this year include the Chef Showcase, featuring nearly 40 local chefs on Friday and Saturday; Saturday night’s Harvest Night event spotlighting guest chefs and featuring a musical tribute to iconic disco hits of the 70s and 80s led by Kings of Leon; the return of Pappy Hour; the Sunday Gospel Brunch with an expanded lineup; and Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint and Friends, where pitmaster Pat Martin sets up his live fire playground and invites his friends to cook with him.

And there are a couple of new Friday night events this year, including the ‘Official Drink of Nashville’ bartender competition and the ‘Friday Night Throwdown,’ where chefs Anne Burrell and Tim Love will captain teams featuring players from the Nashville Predators and Tennessee Titans in a cook-off.

You can find the full rundown of participating chefs below, but some specific notes regarding the initial list:

• For the first time since the inaugural event in 2013 (then called Music City Eats), Strategic Hospitality, Nashville’s most prominent restaurant group, has zero participants. That means no Josh Habiger (Bastion), Julia Sullivan (Henrietta Red), Ryan Poli (The Catbird Seat), Trevor Moran (formerly of The Catbird Seat), or Levon Wallace, who just recently joined up with Strategic.
• Other notable local names missing are Philip Krajeck (Rolf and Daughters, Folk) and Jason Zygmont (The Treehouse).
• Gabrielle Hamilton, who just earlier this week won the James Beard award for Outstanding Chef, will be in attendance at Harvest Night.
• Harvest Night skews more heavily towards local chefs and celebrity chefs that own Nashville restaurants or have deep ties to the city than in past years, with over 60 percent of the current roster falling into those categories. Of particular interest is the inclusion of The Public House’s Tom Bayless, Eater Nashville’s Chef of the Year for 2017, in the Saturday night festivities.

As always, more details will be released as the event gets closer, so be sure to check back.

Chef Showcase

Kristopher Akers, Americano

Kahlil Arnold, Arnold’s Country Kitchen

Jessica Benefield & Trey Burnette, The Green Pheasant and Two Ten Jack

Kristin Beringson, Silo

Carey Bringle, Peg Leg Porker

Chris Carter & James Peisker, Porter Road Butcher

Maneet Chauhan, Chauhan Ale & Masala House

Trey Cioccia, The Farm House and Black Rabbit

Aaron Clemins, Kuchnia + Keller

Gerard Craft, Pastaria

Bill & Tony Darsinos, Greko Greek Street Food

Nathan Duensing, Marsh House

Matt Farley, Woolworth on Fifth and The Southern Steak & Oyster

Tony Galzin, Nicky’s Coal Fired

Daniel Gorman, Henley

Robert Grace and Andrew Whitney, Moto, Kayne Prime, and Virago

Mike Haggerty, Sea Salt

Hal M. Holden-Bache, Lockeland Table

Matt Gillie, Tànsuŏ

Matt Hyland and Graydon Atchley, Emmy Squared

Jess Lambert, etc.

Daniel Lindley, 5th & Taylor

Crystal De Luna-Bogan, The Grilled Cheeserie

Sean McTiernan, Adele’s

Michael Morales, Sunda

Deb Paquette, Etch

Kyle Patterson, Sinema

Nick Pellegrino, Mangia

Giovanni Pinato, Giovanni Ristorante

Brian Riggenbach, The Mockingbird

Andrew Rodriguez, Little Octopus

Joshua Simpson, Proper Bagel

Nina Singto, Thai Esane

David Tieman, Five Points Pizza

Gospel Brunch

Elliot Cunniff, Makeready Libations & Liberation

Lisa Donovan, pastry chef and writer

Brandon Frohne, Holler and Dash Biscuit House

John Lasater, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken

Andy Little, Josephine

Pat Martin, Hugh-Baby’s BBQ & Burger Shop

Margot McCormack, Margot Cafe & Bar and Marche

Claire Meneely, Dozen Bakery

Bryan Lee Weaver, Butcher & Bee

Karl Worley, Biscuit Love

Harvest Night

Jeni Britton Bauer, Jeni’s Ice Cream

Tom Bayless, The Public house

Matt Bolus, The 404 Kitchen

Sean Brock, Husk, McCrady’s, McCrady’s Tavern, Minero

Maneet Chauhan, Chauhan Ale & Masala House

Carla Hall, ABC’s The Chew

Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune

Tim Love, Lonesome Dove, Woodshed Smokehouse, Love Shack

Margot McCormack, Margot Cafe & Bar

Aarón Sánchez, Johnny Sánchez

Chris Shepherd, UB Preserv

Jonathan Waxman, Adele’s, Barbuto, Brezza Cucina

Tandy Wilson, City House

Andrew Zimmern, Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen

• Music City Food + Wine [Official Site]