As the “Most Exciting Foodie Town” in Michigan and one of the country’s up-and-coming wine regions, the Traverse City area offers an endless buffet of delicious things to eat and drink all summer long. It only makes sense to celebrate the agricultural bounty and culinary excellence that’s so pleasing to the palates of both residents and visitors alike.
Hence, Traverse City Food & Wine presented by 4Front Credit Union, an inaugural event that’s happening Aug. 20-24. You are invited to gather with renowned chefs, cookbook authors, sommeliers, farmers, and food lovers from around the world for a five-day feast of epicurean indulgence – all amid the stunning backdrop of Traverse City’s iconic coastline.
What To Do
The main event is The Grand Tasting on Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Traverse City Open Space overlooking spectacular West Grand Traverse Bay. This perfect summer afternoon will include samples of special menu items prepared by both local and celebrity chefs featuring tasty seasonal ingredients grown in the Traverse City area, plus more than 100 local wines, ciders, beers, cocktails, and mocktails.
There also will be cooking demonstrations by guest chefs, including Top Chef winner Mei Lin, as well as a Main Stage conversation with Tyler Florence. The James Beard Award-nominated chef and owner of Miller & Lux in San Francisco and Hawaii hosts “The Great Food Truck Race,” an Emmy-nominated Food Network show airing its 18th season this summer.
Guests won’t want to miss the Opening Night Patio Party at the waterfront Delamar on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and can build their own itinerary from an array of special events that feature the many distinctive flavors of the Traverse City area. Activities include farm tours, cooking demonstrations, vineyard tastings, wine-inspired sails on the bay, marvelous multi-course meals, and more. There will also be a focus on health and wellness through events including a 5k run/walk, aromatherapy blending, and goat yoga.
Who To See
While the value-added agriculture of the Traverse City area is the real star, there will be tons of world-class talent in addition to Florence and Lin:
- Celina Tio, a James Beard Award-winning chef and regular on Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef America
- Sarah Welch, a Top Chef: Houston finalist who co-founded two Detroit icons – Marrow and Mink – and is opening Umbo on Traverse City’s Front Street in 2026
- Innovative food pioneers in Michigan, including Kate Williams, owner of Lady of the House in Detroit, and author Abra Berens, chef at Granor Farm in Three Oaks
- Sayeh Tavangar, host of an upcoming Netflix cooking show highlighting international cuisine; Omar Anani, owner of the Moroccan bistro Saffron De Twah in Detroit and The Twisted Mitten, the first halal food truck in the state; and Ji Hye Kim, who uses Midwestern ingredients in ancient Korean recipes at Miss Kim in Ann Arbor
- Wine educator Susan Kostrzewa, director-at-large at Les Dames D’Escoffier New York; Steven Reddicliffe, editor of The New York Times Essential Book of Cocktails; and Amy Smart and Carter Oosterhouse, co-owners of Bonobo Winery on Traverse City’s Old Mission Peninsula
How To Make The Most Of Your Visit
Locals know that every day in the Traverse City area is a feast for the senses. Yet, Traverse City Food & Wine will take it up a notch with an influx of celebrity talent and a wide variety of curated events.
In addition to meeting your culinary idols and learning their cooking secrets, you’ll have the chance to partake in a number of unique experiences. For example, you could sail around Grand Traverse Bay on the Wind Dancer schooner or the catamaran Nauti-Cat with a glass of your favorite wine in hand. You could have an adventure down on the farm and dine on local produce that you may have even helped pick! You could attend a picnic-style cookout at Brys Estate Vineyard & Winery, sip wine during a sunset jazz concert at Chateau Chantal, take a cooking class at Black Star Farms or a cocktail class at Mammoth Distilling, and tour Michigan’s only organic tea farm.
Whether you come as a couple or with a group of friends, these five days of Traverse City Food & Wine are not to be missed for food lovers and wine connoisseurs. The is a great chance for solo travel, too, and for meeting like-minded foodies from around Michigan and beyond.
