What to know about food, beverage festivals set for August-October
ASHEVILLE - Summer in Western North Carolina is coming to an end, making way for a harvest season ripe with more food and beverage festivals.
Some themed events will celebrate local chefs, restaurants, makers and purveyors while others showcase the greatness of a specific food or style of beverage.
One common objective is that the festivals bring communities together with the added perk of good food, drinks and entertainment.
This year, the YMI Cultural Center will host a Community Heritage Festival from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Aug. 26 at MLK Park in place of its longstanding, multiday downtown Goombay Festival.
An all-about-pickles celebration dubbed Picklefest will make its debut at The Whale in West Asheville on Sept. 9 with pickle vendors and pickle beers, such as the Spicy Pickle Monster.
More fun is to come ― add these Asheville area food and beverage festivals to the calendar:
Zillicoah Session Fest
Zillicoah Beer Co. will bring back its annual Zillicoah Session Fest from 2-8 p.m. on Aug. 26 at the brewery, 870 Riverside Drive in Woodfin.
The craft beer celebration will focus on brews with low alcohol by volume percentages ― or session beers ― from about 20 breweries from Zillicoah and regional and national brands.
Food offerings on deck will be Bigfoot-Long Hotdogs, Boy Howdy Burgers, MasterBBQ (Filipino cuisine) and Mount Patisserie Donuts.
Live music by various performers is scheduled from 2-8 p.m.
The Session Fest is for adults ages 21 and up. The event is ticketed and the brewery will be closed to the public. Admission is $45.
Parking is limited, so consider carpooling or hailing a ride service.
For more, visit zillicoahbeer.com.
Chow Chow Food and Culture Festival
Chow Chow Food and Culture Festival will run Sept. 7-10 at Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza, in downtown Asheville. The homegrown culinary festival series will return for a weekend full of tastings, classes and workshops, demonstrations, talks and presentations, entertainment and activities celebrating and showcasing the food and beverage industry.
The schedule features multiple themed experiences with free, low-cost and regular-priced tickets available. Chow Chow will kick off with an opening party, “A Celebration of Appalachian BBQ Across Cultures: From Indigenous Roots to Global Pitmasters.”
Also on the schedule, are all-ages pie and tamales-making classes, and seminars on plant-based cheese and gluten-free food. Plus, there will be ample opportunities to taste and sip dishes and drinks prepared by James Beard Award-recognized chefs and a host of other acclaimed local and regional guest chefs and mixologists and local producers.
View the full schedule and purchase tickets at chowchowasheville.com.
Asheville Greek Festival
Asheville Greek Festival, presented by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, will be 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 22 and 23 at 277 Cumberland Ave. in the historic Montford District.
The annual celebration has been a staple in the community for more than 30 years and features Greek food, music, dancing and lessons about Greek heritage, customs and faith.
The festival menu includes moussaka, spanakopita, Greek salad, chicken riganato, souvlaki, arni, dolmade, baklava and an assortment of other pastries and savory dishes.
The cost is $3 for guests ages 12 and older. For more, visit avlgreekfest.com.
Asheville VeganFest
Asheville VeganFest will be 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Oct. 8 at Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza, in downtown.
The festival was founded to “showcase vegan food, beer, and lifestyle products that promote a lifestyle that benefits the animals, people, and the planet.”
Aj's Cheesecakes, Imagine Vegan Cafe and Dare Vegan Cheese are among the list of vendors.
Also, a family fun zone will offer games and face painting for all ages.
The event is free with a suggested donation of $5 or more.
For more, visit ashevilleveganfest.com.
Carolina Mountain Cheese Festival
Carolina Mountain Cheese Festival is slated for noon-5 p.m. Oct. 8 at Oak and Grist Distilling Company, 1556 Grovestone Road in Black Mountain.
WNC Cheese Trail’s annual fundraiser supports the nonprofit’s efforts to promote artisan cheese makers of Western North Carolina, as well as facilitate consumer food education and encourage regional cheese tourism.
Carolina Mountain Cheese Festival’s host of vendors will sell and offer samples of an assortment of cheese and other food and beverages.
The WNC cheesemakers and dairy farms’ cheese selection will range from chevre — fresh soft goat cheese — to blue cheeses to specialty artisanal cheeses unique to each maker.
Two food trucks will be selling full meals and snacks. Oak and Grist Distilling Co. will have alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages available for purchase. And wine will be available to taste and pair.
Admission tickets are sold at three levels from $20-$50. Additional tickets may be purchased for chef classes and tastings.
The event is open to guests ages 10 and up. No pets are allowed at the food fest. For more, visit mountaincheesefest.com.
Burnpile
Burial Beer Co.’s annual mega beer tasting and music festival will return for another year from 1-6 p.m. Oct. 14 at Forestry Camp, 10 Shady Oak Drive, Asheville.
Burnpile is known to sell out and tickets are going fast, so organizers recommend purchasing early.
The three-tier ticketing system includes general admission, a tasting experience package and VIP with different levels of access and swag bag perks. The costs range from $50-$150.
All tickets include unlimited beer tastings and live music shows all day.
The full list of more than 50 participating breweries, in addition to Burial Beer, will be posted online soon. The Curated Off-Topic Conversations featuring beer industry professionals will be announced, too.
For more, visit burnpileavl.com.
Carolina CiderFest
Carolina CiderFest, presented by the North Carolina Cider Association and Shay and Company, will be 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 21 at McCormick Field, 30 Buchanan Place in Asheville.
The festival celebrates local, regional and national cidermakers with hard cider, mead, apple wine and seltzers available for tasting. Bottles and cans of cider may be purchased to-go.
Artisanal food, including local cheeses, caramels, ice cream and baked goods, will be available.
Live music will be performed.
General admission is $45 ($25 for designated drivers). Two VIP packages are available for $75 and $95, which include early admission and samples of specialty, small-batch or limited-release ciders and meads.
For more, visit carolinaciderfest.com.
Food news you may have missed:
A new cider festival emerges as another is phased out in Asheville
New menu, venue upgrades rolls out at Azalea Bar and Kitchen
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Cheese, beer, more tasting festivals to attend in the Asheville area
