The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival is taking place in Midtown from May 31 to June 3. The founders of the festival, Dominique Love and Elizabeth Feichter, have always strived to be inclusive and diverse, but this year they decided to appoint an advisory board of all women and focus on chefs of color. Among the appointed advisory board members are Stephanie Tyson and Vivian Joyner, who own two restaurants called Sweet Potatoes and Miss Ora’s Kitchen. At the festival, they are hosting a wine class that focuses on pairing fried chicken with champagne.
Atlanta Food & Wine Festival has always strived to include African-American chefs. Here are a few of the chefs who will be involved this year.
Todd Richards is a self-taught chef from Chicago who focuses on southern food, as well as the owner of Richard’s Southern Fried. He will be teaching a class called SOUL: America’s Cuisine, which is all about soul food without limitations.
Kenny Gilbert was a fan favorite on Top Chef and has traveled the world and cooked for numerous restaurants. He owns several southern food restaurants in Florida, including Gilbert’s Underground Kitchen, Gilbert’s Social, Gilbert’s Southern Kitchen & Bar, and Gilbert’s Hot Chicken, Fish & Shrimp. Gilbert will be teaching a class at this year’s AF&WF called Under the Sea: Sustainable Seafood.
Gerald Sombright has studied Italian cooking techniques under the tutelage of Chef Fabrizio Schenardi while working at Cielo in the Four Seasons Hotel. He has also worked under chefs Michael Mina and Clayton Miller. Gerald has been a contestant on Top Chef and will be participating in Dine by Sign of the Connoisseur Dinner Series at the festival.
Digby Stridiron grew up around the “slow food” movement and his culinary tradition is West Indian with African influence. He deeply cares about food equality and uses seasonal ingredients as the inspiration for his dishes. He is currently researching West Indian influences on cooking in the American South and will be teaching about Southern ingredients and their international counterparts at the festival.
This year, AF&WF has strived to put women and chefs of color, who usually do not get the recognition they deserve, in the spotlight. With a large showcase of diverse talent, this will surely be an event to remember.