Festival - Connoisseur Pass
Exclusive Access to special features and more!!
Full Weekend Passes
Single Day Passes (Friday or Saturday)
Get early access to the festival grounds and a slew of other fun, exclusive treats!
FRIDAY, SEPT. 9 – SUNDAY, SEPT. 11
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
PACK SQUARE PARK
DOWNTOWN, ASHEVILLE, NC
TICKET TYPES OFFERED:
- WEEKENDER PASS (Friday through Sunday)
- SINGLE DAY PASS* (Friday or Saturday)
*Connoisseur Pass only available Sunday as a part of the Weekender Pass
**All attendees at the Festival Grounds must be 21+ years of age and show a government issued ID to verify.
- All
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Brandon Carter is the Executive Chef and Partner of FARM Hospitality Group (FARM Bluffton, Common Thread, Strangebird Food Truck, Wildflower Cafe, and Rootstock Community Foundation) where he works tirelessly to connect the guest’s dining experience with the farmer’s ethos. Always cognizant of seasonality and availability of local ingredients, Carter crafts ever-evolving menus that speak to the bounty of South Carolina’s Lowcountry and the coastal region of Georgia and pay homage to the many growers, fishers, farmers, and artisans who inspire him. At each concept, Carter puts an emphasis on sourcing locally and building personal relationships with purveyors. His menus change as often as his inspiration, highlighting hyper-seasonal ingredients with global influences. Never taking his work too seriously and leaving room for play, Carter’s vision is to bring his community together through nourishment and friendship; when a customer feels like family, he knows he’s accomplished what he set out to do. Outside of the restaurants, Carter devotes time to the group’s non-profit, Rootstock Community Foundation, whose mission is to create awareness and resources to help address the issue of mental health in the food and beverage community.
Daniel (he/him) has spent 20 years in the hospitality industry, primarily focusing on seasonal and sustainable food systems. He has worked for acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs including Sean Brock and Patrick O’Connell and has led many kitchens in the Carolinas, most recently James Beard nominated restaurant The Stanley in Charlotte. Daniel made the transition to culinary and hospitality education; here he hopes to educate and inspire young chefs to further their growth and exploration of the hospitality industry.
A native of Norlina, NC, Gerald is known for featuring producers across the state in innovative ways through food. He is an executive pastry chef in Wilmington & a co-chef of “Wa Mi Dounou” with chef Adé Carrena of Raleigh. “Wa Mi Dounou”, explores connections between Beninese food & the Carolinas.
Gwendolyn Dare Hageman founded Darë Vegan Cheese in 2019 after many years as a chef in the Asheville culinary scene. Saddened by the quality of alternative cheeses on the market, and driven to have a pun as her life’s work, Gwendolyn combined her culinary wizardry with her passion to produce food through love to create the best dairy-free cheese locally, and beyond. Pronounced like dairy, tastes like dairy, but there is, in fact, no dairy. With a commitment to culinary craft and high quality ingredients, Darë Vegan Cheese is changing the way people enjoy their favorite food. We’ve made cheese better, it’s nuts.
Chef Katie lives in Asheville, NC with her husband, Kirk, kids Will and Lidia, and dogs, Pearl and Zeke. She has a passion for eating, cooking, and living clean. She loves finding new ways to make the healthiest food approachable, delicious, and satisfying.
She found her passion for cooking early in life, and attended The New England Culinary Institute of Vermont. She has worked in restaurants, café’s, grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and has extensive catering experience, including opening and co-owning Sugarsnap, LLC, in Burlington, VT.
Chef Malcolm graduated from Johnson & Wales in 2009 and made his way to NYC where he cut his teeth at various steakhouses, Minetta Tavern, STK and Unle Jacks Steakhouse. He also worked with Chef Dani Garcia at Manzanilla, Chef Danny Bowen at Mission Chinese Food and Chef Clause Meyer at Agern.
He left NYC in 2018 and moved upstate NY to the Catskills where he lived on a farm and work with his mentor Aksel Theikhul at The Debruce Inn. While there he was promoted to Chef De Cuisine and executed tasting menus.
At the onset of the pandemic he made the decision to move back to North Carolina and landed in Asheville where he was the Chef De Cuisine at Benne On Eagle working under James Beard winning chef John Fleer.
Chef Malcolm has since moved to Charlotte to be closer to his son. Chef Malcolm is currently working with Tonidandel-Brown Restaurant Group on their upcoming project Leluia Hall.
For over 15 years, Mike McCarty has masterfully captained The Lobster Trap as Executive Chef. He joined the crew in the earliest days, and took over as Chef not long after. From then to now, Chef Mike and The Lobster Trap have seen a lot of challenges and changes.
From the start, Chef McCarty, along with founding owner Amy Beard, had a clear vision of what The Lobster Trap should be; a meeting place for the flavors of Coastal Maine, combined with Appalachia’s abundance of fresh ingredients. As part of this mission, Mike made sustainability the focus of every dish on his menu.
Making this dream a reality is a truly incredible feat of logistical problem solving. When the doors of the restaurant close for the night, Chef Mike and his team are already working on the menu for the next day.
Owner and chef of Master BBQ AVL. Serves Filipino style BBQ skewers.
