This year marks the 11th annual New York City Wine and Food Festival benefiting the Food Bank for New York and No Kid Hungry. Held October 11 to 14, NYCWFF is the largest food and wine event in NYC. This year there will be over 80 events with celebrity chefs, entertainers, and culinary personalities located throughout New York City – on rooftops, the Hudson River piers and in restaurants – all joining forces to help raise money to feed families with food insecurity.
Events at this supreme gastro-fest include foodie activities such as cooking classes, book signings, wine pairings, dinners and happy hours with some of the top local and world-renowned chefs in New York. There will also be family-specific events like a Breakfast Pajama Party hosted by Today’s Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones and an Ultimate Pizza Party with Jeff Mauro.
This four-day event is more than a way to satisfy our foodie fascination and hang out with celebrity personalities. It is a way for us to help New York residents who are less fortunate. A way to help the more than 48.1 million people, 15.4% of the United States population, who live with the very real crisis of food insecurity. Over 2.5 million of those people are New York State residents. Of that 2.5 million, 1.3 million live in New York City.
What exactly is food insecurity? It is a mild, and sometimes easy to ignore term for people that regularly do not have enough food to eat on a daily basis. The USDA defines it as the lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Through the generosity of volunteers and attendees, the New York Wine and Food Festival has raised over US$ 11.5 million to fight hunger in New York. 100% of all net proceeds go to the No Kid Hungry campaign and the Food Bank For New York City.
So, join other foodies in the fight to end hunger. Meet celebrity chefs and award-winning cookbook authors during book signings, sample dishes from some of NYC’s finest restaurants and participate in wine and spirit tastings.
Guests can also learn how to pair a savory and perfectly seared steak with high-end whiskey with Chef David DiSalvo of STK Downtown and expert butchers will be on hand to advise on cuts of meat, grades and raising techniques that create exquisite and flavorful steaks. In addition to getting the lowdown on steaks, Allen Katz, one of the nation’s leading experts on spirits, will be sharing the history and subtlety of the many differences of flavors in whiskey.
Enjoy late night parties, brunches, and culinary demonstrations with 20 of the top culinary superstars such as Giada De Laurentiis, Andrew Zimmern, and Robert Irvine as they share their cooking techniques and favorite recipes. Mingle with 500 world-renowned culinary personalities, chefs, Food Network Channel stars, and entertainers. Taste, learn and enjoy a weekend filled with entertainment, fabulous food, and fine wine and spirits all while giving to a great cause helping to fight hunger in the United States. ■