Wine and food are on tap
One of the largest multiday wine and culinary festivals in the region is hosting its 11th annual Wine and Food Week from June 1-7 in The Woodlands.
The weeklong event is expected to attract more than 11,000 people this year and will showcase 75 restaurants and 200 wineries. Attendees can examine and sample the 500 to 600 different wines and hundreds of different bitesized foods across the festival’s events.
“It’s a steal for what you get,” said Constance McDerby, co-principal of Wine and Food Week. “There is no where you can go to and have access to food-tasting stations from these world-class chefs. You would spend for one dinner in their restaurant for one ticket to come in.”
Some Woodlands-area restaurants that will be featured include Kirby’s
Prime Steakhouse, Hubble and Hudson Bistro, Jasper’s Gourmet Backyard Cuisine and The Club at Carlton Woods. The wines at the weeklong event come from Spain, Italy, France, Argentina, Canada and from across the United States.
“I think it’s good attention for our community. Personally, my husband and I have attended some in other areas just because it’s a fun thing to do. So I think for that reason, it really does bring people to our community,” said Karen Hoylman, CEO/ president of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce.
Fred Domenick, the general manager of the Woodlands Water Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, said the weeklong event boosts his hotel’s occupancy rate during a time of year that’s traditionally slow. As the vice chairman of The Woodlands Convention and Visitors Bureau, Domenick expects occupancy rates across hotels to be about 80 percent during the event.
“We’re typically pretty full that week. It definitely creates demand in the market, and it brings people here. People want to be part of a world-class event, and they do a great job,” Domenick said.
Both Constance and her husband, Clifton, moved to Houston from New Orleans more than 10 years ago. Moving from a city known for its festivities to Houston was a culture change. The couple found their niche when they realized that Houston didn’t have a multiday wine and culinary event.
The couple’s first Wine and Food Week attracted 1,000 people but didn’t make much money. Now, the major event has become a top wine and culinary destination in the region and takes more than $300,000 to produce.
Wine and Food Week raises funds from sponsors and ticket sales. The funds go toward venue costs, wine and beer glasses, live music, security, insurance, fencing, labor and more.
Wine and Food Week is produced by Food and Vine Time Productions, which was founded in 2002 by McDerby and her husband.
The three big ticket events for Wine and Food Week include:
The H-E-B Wine Walk at Market Street, where guests can sample a host of food and wine, take in the live music and visit other retailers around the 34acre Market Street. Tickets cost $35 in advance or $40 at the gate and will run from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on June 4.
Sips, Suds and Tacos, where chefs will compete to see who makes the best taco. Attendees can vote for their best taco and the judges will choose theirs. Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the door. The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on June 5 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.
The Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting and Chef Showcase is the premiere event for Wine and Food Week. The event will feature live chef demonstrations, and 50 chefs will vie for the Waterford Crystal Chef of Chefs Award, which comes with a $5,000 cash prize. Attendees can sample food and more than 500 different wines. The tickets are $125 in advance and $135 at the door, and the event will be at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.
The other events during the Wine and Food Week include:
It’s a Guy Thing, Women and Wine with Kathy Womack, Ladies of the Vine Tasting Panel and Luncheon and a slew of after parties.
The event has two charity benefactors. One of the benefactors is The John Cooper School’s Signature Author Series, which is an annual luncheon that brings local and best-selling authors for book signings, a keynote speech and a silent auction. This year, New York Times best-selling novelist Gilliam Flynn will be the featured speaker on Dec. 4 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott.
The second benefactor of Wine and Food Week is New Danville, a 42-acre master-planned community that works to integrate adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing affordable housing, social and job-based skills and by promoting self-reliance through woodshop, sewing and gardening training.