The Culinary Village is called the heart and soul of the festival. It is located in Marion Square in the epicenter of downtown Charleston. Guests enjoy food, drinks and learning opportunities from some of the best in the business. This event is always a good time.
What we had to drink:
Conniption Gin of course from Durham Distillery! You must try their Gin and Tonic in a can. Yep! That is right in a can and for all you skeptics out there, I can tell you it is amazing. You will want to get some of this for visits to the beach and the pool this summer!
Smooth Ambler Contradiction Bourbon. It was so good. They served a Mountain Mule with biters, fresh lemon juice and ginger beer.
Drunken Gelatos Spritz – So good.
Jefferson Whiskey. I enjoyed their premium whiskey. We tried their small-batch but I think the premium had a better flavor.
Cathead Vodka. We enjoyed a Rosemary Lemonade with Honeysuckle vodka. It was so good I am going to try and recreate this for a spring drink.
Uncle Nearest Bourbon. We were excited to try this. Here is a little history about Uncle Nearest.
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey is inspired by the best whiskey maker the world never knew, the first known African-American master distiller, Nathan “Nearest” Green. The Uncle Nearest brand is wholly owned by Uncle Nearest, Inc., an all minority-led business.
Check out all the details here.
One of the other things that is always fun about the Culinary Village is all of the talent you will see there. We got to catch up with the Lee Brothers one of my favorite twosomes. They are amazing. We got to hear them talk a few years ago at Quail Ridge Books. If you ever get a chance to have their boiled peanuts you must grab some from them.
We also got to see Raleigh’s own hometown hero Ashley Christiansen on the cooking stage which was great.
And finally, I would be amiss if I didn’t mention running to the crew from Southern Charm. Austin was there shlepping his new beer and they were filming next season. It was interesting seeing them actually film. They were all very nice and Craig was fully willing to take a selfie.
So the Culinary Village is always a good time! It’s five hours of food, drinks, and fun! If you have never been to Charleston Wine and Food Festival I would highly suggest this event as it has something for everyone and you will have a good time.
