TerraVita Food & Drink Festival is North Carolina’s premier gathering of culinary talent, makers, artisans, food purveyors, food lovers, sustainable eaters and thinkers. For the exciting 10th anniversary, festival founder Colleen Minton is focused on celebrating past, beloved festival contributors and toasting the future of food and sustainability in North Carolina and the South. The star-studded event returns to Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Pittsboro Oct. 16-19. Tickets for the most exciting festival yet go on sale this Thursday, July 11, at noon.
Visit www.TerraVitaFest.com for tickets and schedules. Follow the Facebook page @TerraVitaFest (same for Instagram and Twitter) for announcements as speakers and event participants are added.
In an email to devoted fans, Minton shared personal news: “There’s another reason this year will be special…2019 will also be TerraVita’s final year. Just as the North Carolina food and beverage scene has matured over the last decade, so has our family! I feel like our community has grown and flourished—and I think the timing is about as good as it gets. I am proud of what TerraVita has become and the way it has tapped into the undeniable power of food and drink. I feel like we were ahead of the curve when it came to exploring topics like sustainable seafood, GMOs and social justice, as it pertains to the industry. We’ve nurtured relationships and created connections within the culinary community and beyond.
“Through our close partnership with Orange County Waste, we’ve diverted more than 22,000 pounds of waste through composting and recycling. Most of all, I’m proud of the incredible memories we’ve made and the joy this festival has brought to participants, attendees and volunteers.”
Wednesday
TerraVita 2019 Events Include Alumni Lineup for All-Star East Meets West Dinner
The East Meets West Dinner kicks off the festival on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the Fearrington Barn. Colin Bedford of The Fearrington House in Pittsboro will host nine chefs—all alumni of East Meets West over TerraVita’s 10 years—for a collaborative dinner. In addition to Colin, the lineup for the evening includes:
- Daniel Benjamin of lucettegrace – Raleigh
- Ashely Boyd of 300 East – Charlotte
- Steven Devereaux Greene of Herons at the Umstead – Cary
- Vivian Howard of Chef & The Farmer and The Boiler Room – Kinston; and Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria – Wilmington
- Joe Kindred of Kindred – Davidson; and Hello, Sailor – Cornelius
- Cheetie Kumar of Garland – Raleigh
- Dean Neff of Love, Lydia Bakery – Wilmington
- Keith Rhodes of Catch – Wilmington
- Jesse Roque of Never Blue – Hendersonville
In addition, master baker Lionel Vatinet of La Farm Bakery will provide fresh baked breads and crafted spreads for the dinner. Botanist & Barrel of Cedar Grove will serve their ciders and dry fruit wines. Tickets are $120.
Hill Fire event
THURSDAY
Hill Fire: A Barbecue Revival with Pigs & Pies
TerraVita’s Thursday night event at the Carrboro Town Commons celebrates those who love to play with fire. This year, some of the region’s top pitmasters and chefs will come together for an evening of smoky bliss. In addition, a limited number of VIP tickets offer cocktails and a pre-dinner behind-the-scenes experience with several pitmasters and chefs.
The lineup includes:
- Justin Burdett of Crook’s Corner – Chapel Hill
- Wyatt Dickson of Picnic – Durham
- Sam Jones of the Skylight Inn – Ayden; Sam Jones BBQ – Winterville; and Sam Jones BBQ Restaurant – Greenville, Raleigh and Wilmington
- Ricky Moore of Saltbox Seafood Joint – Durham
- Matthew Register of Southern Smoke BBQ – Garland
- Chris Prieto of Prime Barbeque – Knightdale
- Jake Wood of Plates Kitchen – Raleigh
Additional chefs will be added in the coming weeks. Sean Umstead of Kingfisher in Durham will be slinging specialty cocktails and other beverage participants will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets are $80 for the dinner and $105 for the VIP option (which includes the dinner).
Friday
The Sustainable Classroom, a hallmark of TerraVita, will return, stirring the mind, body and soul with workshops, food and beverage tastings, demonstrations, discussions and educational sessions all wrapped into one. Watch TerraVita’s social media and websites for more announcements and updates for classroom titles and participants. Each classroom pass will include three classes over the course of the morning and early afternoon. Tickets for a Friday class pass are $75.
Spirit of Adventure Cocktail Class
This special stand-alone class at The Crunkleton in downtown Chapel Hill will offer attendees a front-row seat as Gary Crunkleton chooses a few unusual bottles to feature. He’ll offer a little history lesson and a few distinctive cocktails while also discussing what’s trending in the bar world. Tickets are $40.
On Friday evening, TerraVita will host a dinner honoring the late Karen Barker, best known for her work at Magnolia Grill, a restaurant she founded with husband Ben Barker. The dinner will offer a chance to reflect, as a community, on the legacy of the Durham pastry chef. Friends and culinary pros from across the South—as well as Karen’s family—will come together for a family-style meal at Lavender Oaks Farm in Chapel Hill.
Participating chefs include:
- Frank Stitt of Highlands Bar & Grill – Birmingham, AL
- Billy & Kelli Cotter of Dashi & Toast – Durham
- John Fleer of Rhubarb & Benne – Asheville
- Phoebe Lawless of Scratch – Durham
- Glenn Lozuke of Weaver Street Market – Carrboro
- Caitlin McCormick Schumacher of FIG – Charleston, SC
- Amanda Orser of Littler – Durham
- Tori Schumacher of The Ordinary – Charleston, SC
Debra Lewis of Vintage ’59 Imports will curate the wines for the dinner and Fullsteam Brewery will serve beer. Tickets cost $120.
Saturday
Saturday’s Fall Fête on The Green offers the ultimate toast to the talent and innovation of North Carolina and the chefs, artisans and makers serving up a global mix of sustainable offerings. The event at Southern Village in Chapel Hill takes place from 1:30 pm – 4 pm on Oct. 19 and will feature tastings from more than 40 chefs and artisans. Guests may taste as many as 60 sustainably-produced beverages, including kombucha; organic coffee; biodynamic, organically-grown and natural wines; and sustainably-produced microbrews and spirits. The all-inclusive ticket for the afternoon tasting event is $80; designated driver tickets are available for $65.
In addition, the Fall Fête will have a limited number of VIP tickets available for early entry. VIPs will be the first to shop in the expanded makers’ tent with potters from Seagrove, The Pottery Capital of the U.S. and more than half a dozen food artisans from across the state. The makers’ tent will also feature several pros creating specialty cocktails and hors d’oeuvres beginning at 12:30 pm. VIPs receive early access to the larger chef tent at 1 pm. VIP entry includes tastings from Jean Anderson’s new book, Kiln to Kitchen (UNC Press). Anderson will sign her book for the public for the first two hours. VIP tickets are $100.
About TerraVita Food & Drink Festival
Launched in 2010 in Chapel Hill, NC by food activist Colleen Minton, TerraVita was named one of “seven top-notch festivals around the Southeast to whet the appatite” this Spring by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Committed to sustainable food and drink, the event brings together award-winning chefs, authors, artisans, makers, media and farmers in unique settings to taste, talk about issues and celebrate the land.
TerraVita strives to produce a zero waste event. More than 22,000 pounds of waste have been diverted over the past nine festivals through composting and recycling. The event shares a strategic partnership with Orange County Solid Waste Management and Brooks Contractors, a commercial composting company located in Chatham County. TerraVita is grateful to the Chapel Hill Orange County Visitors Bureau, a proud sponsor of TerraVita.
More Information
Watch our new video! http://bit.ly/TerraVita2019Video
Visit www.terravitafest.com and @TerraVitaFest on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Sign up for emails from TerraVita for the latest news and announcements:
http://bit.ly/SignUpforTerraVitaUpdates
