Follow the road to the lovely, foodie-centric city of Greenville for some of the most memorable food, wine and music experiences in the nation.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Euphoria Festival, named one of the “10 Southern Food Festivals You Need to Taste” by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Top 20 Events in the Southeast,” and praised in USA Today, Oprah Magazine and The New York Times.
Greenville, a treat at any time of the year, is located in the South Carolina foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is an easy drive from any direction. Euphoria begins on Sept. 17 and runs through Sept. 20.
The festival includes cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, food trucks, multi-course wine dinners and plenty of live music. Check out the full event schedule at www.euphoriagreenville.com.
Brought back by popular demand will be Lambs ‘n Clams, Songwriter’s Recipe, Traffic Jam, Tasting Showcase, Jazz Brunch, and Taste of the South which will feature more than 20 area chefs.
The grand finale again this year will be the Sunday Supper in the downtown historic Wyche Pavillion with a feast prepared by 10 of Euphoria’s renowned local and visiting chefs.
Among the guest chefs this year are
- Katie Button of Curate and Nightbell in Asheville, N.C.
- Scott Crawford of Standard Foods and Nash Tavern in Raleigh, N.C.
- Matthew Accarrino of SPQR in San Francisco, Calif.
- Steven Greene of The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, N.C.
- John Fleer of Rhubarb in Asheville, N.C.
- Steven Satterfield of Miller Union in Atlanta
- John Currence of City Grocery in Oxford, Miss.
- David Guas of Bayou Bakery in New Orleans
- Mike Davis of Terra in Columbia
- Kevin Johnson of The Grocery and Frank Lee of Maverick Southern Kitchens, both in Charleston
Virginia’s Craig Rogers of Border Spring Farm and Travis Croxton of Rappahannock Oysters Co., as well as North Carolina’s Lionel Vatinet of La Farm Bakery, will also play leading roles at this years’ festival.
In special celebration of the 10th anniversary, Euphoria is offering an amazing dining experience with three Michelin starred chefs.
The “Coast to Coast” dinner will feature the talents of Chef Curtis Duffy, a three-star Michelin Chef and owner of Grace in Chicago; David Kinch, two-star Michelin chef of Manresa in Los Gatos, Calif., and chef Sean Gray, two-star Michelin Chef of MomofukuKo in New York.
Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer will select the wines for each course. The dinner will be held at the sophisticated and luxurious Hotel Domestique.
The Michelin chefs will be on hand again at the first annual “Kids in the Kitchen: Healthy Lunchtime Throwdown” contest in which they will serve as the sous chefs. The contest is modeled after First Lady Michelle Obama’s Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and Kids’ State Dinner, an annual event that advocates for healthy eating and healthy lifestyles for children across the nation.
Also new this year is “Swanky Sweet” which will highlight some of the best pastry chefs in America including Eric Wolitzsky from Bravo’s “Top Chef Just Desserts” and Fifth Group Restaurants in Atlanta; Virginia’s Good Food Awards winner Stacy Noland of Stacy’s Sweet Spot; Dan and Jael Rattigan of Asheville, N.C.’s French Broad Chocolates; and Jason Lemon of Charlotte’s Bonterra Dining Wine Room.
Lively musical performances are interspersed around culinary events, offering highlights and backdrop to the weekend’s festivities.
Fans will delight to the return of festival co-founder, singer-songwriter Edwin McCain, Greenville’s native son. He brings with him this year Grammy award-winning songwriters Tim Nichols and Marv Green to highlight “Songwriter’s Recipe,” as well as special guest Delfeayo Marsalis who will play with Mark Rapp and his band at the Sunday Jazz Brunch.
Linger in Greenville to check out a few of the other reasons why Greenville has become one of the most visited cities in the southeast. Take a sunset stroll across the Reedy Riveron the Liberty Bridge, a 355-foot pedestrian suspension bridge that glows in the evening light and stretches above the river’s 60-foot waterfalls and the Falls Park gardens.
Bike the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a rails-to-trails project that runs through downtown. Shop in a wide variety of retail shops and peruse the many art venues. Visit Heritage Green, home of four nationally recognized museums to soak up fine art, history and educational fun time with the kids.
Visit Greenville and come to the festival. You’ll quickly find yourself in Euphoria.
If you go
Euphoria will be held Sept. 17-20 in various locations in Greenville. Prices for ticketed seminars and events range from $35 to $350. Packages begin at $200. Advance tickets recommended. For more information, visit www.euphoriagreenville.com.
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