Marie Fromage

Montclair Food & Wine Festival Takes Town By Storm

The third annual Montclair Food & Wine Festival revved up the local restaurant scene last week with four events featuring chef’s tastings, delicious wines, craft beers, artisanal cocktails, live music and crowds of happy eaters. And good vibes – some of the proceeds for these events went to benefit some very worthy causes.*

GALA!

The week began with the elegant Gala Dinner and auction at The Manor that featured wine-paired plates from FIN Raw Bar & Kitchen, renown chefs Arian Duarte (Ariane Kitchen & Bar), Ryan DePersio (Fascino), Mitchell Altholz (Highlawn Pavilion), Michael Carrino (Pig & Prince), Francesco Palmieri (Orange Squirrel), Zod Arifai (Blu and Next Door), Kevin Sippel (Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen), Meny Vaknin (Mish Mish) and Thomas Ciszak (Chakra and Blue Morel). The wines were curated by Amanti Vino.

BOOK PARTY & BITES

Next up was ‘The Kitchen’ Book Party & Bites, a delightful evening that took place at Watchung Booksellers and featured Geoffrey Zakarian, Katie Lee and Sunny Anderson, stars from the Food Network show “The Kitchen” who were on-hand to greet fans and sign copies of their cookbooks.
Tasty treats from the cookbooks were prepared by Tiny Elephant for fans to enjoy while waiting to meet their Food Network favorites.

 

 

 

BOURBON & BIERGARTEN

Friday evening brought the party outside with the casual “Bourbon & Biergarten” event which took place on the stately grounds of the Montclair Art Museum. 

 

Small batch bourbons, cocktails and craft beers were featured(Hudson Pale Ale was a favorite), along with the food that loves them – think burgers (BURG; Anderson's 1949), grilled sausages (Pig & Prince), tacos with a twist (Kimchi Smoke), grilled corn (Villalobos), cheese (La Panzanella Artisanal Foods Co.) and pretzels sticks(and even pretzel-shaped donuts, courtesy of Montclair Bread Company) and many others. Sweet cravings were satisfied by The Pie Store, Gelotti, Jaret's Stuffed Cupcakes and more. New Orleans-inspired live music was provided by the Street Beat Brass Band and added a jaunty note to the balmy night. Here are some highlights:

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRAND TASTING

The Saturday night “Grand Tasting” bash rounded out the week with even more chef tastings both savory & sweet, wines & cocktails curated by Amanti Vino and live jazz performed by The Jack Ferguson Trio. Leir Hall at the Montclair Art Museum set the stage for this sophisticated event. 

 
The Grand Tasting event is so popular that some folks come every year. “I like the people that come and you get to try different things from different restaurants,” said attendee Regina Schenker. “It’s an easy way to try a restaurant. I like that”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t wait for next year to see what organizer Melody Kettle and her team come up with. Until then, visions of curry chicken sliders and elderflower rum punch will be dancing in my head.   

*Portions of the proceeds from the Montclair Food & Wine Festival events went to support the following organizations:

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital 

Intensive Therapeutics

MACHE - Montclair Academy for Culinary Hospitality Education

 

 

Copyright ©Marie Fromage All Rights Reserved; Photos by Marie Fromage except where noted.

 

 

 

The Kitchen Book Party & Bites Heats Up Montclair

Montclair folks love their food. Montclair folks also love the celebrities that live and work there. Case in point, the enthusiastic turn-out for the “The Kitchen Book Party & Bites” that took place last night at Watchung Booksellers & Tiny Elephant.

This lively and fun event was part of the Montclair Food & Wine Festival taking place this week.  

Food Network show “The Kitchen”, produced by BSTV Entertainment, is filmed in Montclair and several of the show’s hosts, Geoffrey Zakarian, Katie Lee and Sunny Anderson were on-site to greet fans and sign copies of their cookbooks.

 

 

 

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 Tiny Elephant prepared and served samples of recipes from the chef’s cookbooks, including a chocolate bread pudding, a cold beet soup, lamb meatballs and a cocktail made with elderflower, Busted-Barrel rum and Blue J Syrups

It was a steamy night outside, but Montclair food fans took the heat and went straight to The Kitchen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TONIGHT – Montclair Food Festival event #3 - “Bourbon & Biergarten”, outside on the grounds of the Montclair Art Museum. This casual event will feature live music, fine bourbons, craft beers and food samples from over 25 local purveyors. Sounds like a good time to me! Get your tickets HERE.

Copyright ©Marie Fromage All Rights Reserved; Photos by Marie Fromage except where noted.

 

Countdown to the Montclair Food & Wine Festival!

The Montclair Food & Wine Festival will begin again in a matter of days!  The festival, a benefit* now in its third year, will run from June 8 – June 13 and will feature live music, signature dishes and drinks prepared by notable Montclair-area chefs and Food Network stars. There are four exciting events to choose from - and one is free!

=> Monday, June 8 @ 6pm: Wine-Paired Gala Dinner at The Manor

This very special festival kick-off event will highlight the talents of chefs from Ariane Kitchen & Bar, Fascino, FIN Raw Bar & Kitchen, Orange Squirrel, Blue and Next Door, Mish Mish, Chakra and Blue Morel, Highlawn Pavilion, Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen and Pig & Prince. Cocktails will be provided by Busted Barrel Rum and wines by Amanti Vino.
Address: The Manor - 11 Prospect Avenue, West Orange, NJ.
FOR TICKETS: http://montclairfoodandwinefestival.org/gala-dinner/

 

=> Thursday, June 11 @7pm: FREE EVENT - “The Kitchen” Book Party & Bites at Tiny Elephant & Watchung Book Sellers

Did you know that The Food Network tapes its show “The Kitchen” right here in Montclair?  Stop by and meet stars Geoffrey Zakarian, Katie Lee and Sunny Anderson! They will be on-hand to sign copies of their new cookbooks and Tiny Elephant will be preparing and serving sample snacks from the featured cookbooks. Did I mention this was free?   It certainly is, but you must register to attend. Please send an email to events@watchungbooksellers.com
Address: Tiny Elephant & Watchung Book Sellers: 54 Fairfield Street, Montclair

=> Friday, June 12 @ 7pm: Bourbon & Biergarten at  The Montclair Art Museum

Take "a shot & a beer” to a whole new level. This casual event will take place outdoors on the beautiful grounds of The Montclair Art Museum and will feature live music, bourbon & wine sourced by Amanti Vino and dishes provided by over 25 local food purveyors including Anderson’s 1949, FIN Raw Bar & Kitchen/Salute, Fitzgerald’s 1928, Montclair Bread Co., Pig & Prince, The Pie Store and more!
Address: Montclair Art Museum – 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair
FOR TICKETS: http://montclairfoodandwinefestival.org/bourbonandbiergarten/

 

=> Saturday, June 13 @ 7pm: Grand Tasting at The Montclair Art Museum

A Saturday night to remember! This final event of the festival will feature live music and a wide-variety of dishes prepared by area restaurants, with wine and spirits supplied by Amanti Vino. Sample foods from Brick Lane Curry House, Fricassee French Bistro, Java Love Coffee Roasters, Montclair Bread Company, Nicolosi Fine Foods, Olive That!, Sputino Wine Bar, Strip House, Tiny Elephant, Vital Restaurant & Juice Bar and many more.
Address: Montclair Art Museum – 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair
FOR TICKETS: http://montclairfoodandwinefestival.org/grand-tasting-2015/

*The Montclair Food & Wine Festival will benefit the following organizations:

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital  - https://www.stjosephshealth.org/sjch

Intensive Therapeutics - http://intensivetherapeutics.org

MACHE - http://montclairfoodandwinefestival.org/mache-montclair-academy-for-culinary-hospitality-education/