It’s a foodie favorite in Dallas and rightly as it should be. After all, who can pass up a weeklong eating extravaganza that takes 10 events across the Dallas area and turns it into a chance to not only drink the best drinks, but also eat and mingle with the best chefs in town.
From May 14 to 20, 2018, the 14th annual Savor Dallas Food + Drink Festival will present workshops, dinners, and live music with an emphasis on local host chefs and talent curating Savor Dallas’s main events and creating innovative culinary experiences throughout the week.
“In 2017, there were more than 4,650 attendees and we expect similar numbers this year,” said Rachel Watkins, Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships and Experiential Marketing at BELO MEDIA GROUP who handles PR for Savor Dallas.
Watkins said new this year too, the six Toast of the Town events on Sunday May 13 through Wednesday, May 16.
“We've added some awesome, one-of-a-kind and more intimate culinary experiences to the festival lineup with these events,” she said.
Overall, the food and drink extravaganza will feature 12 of the city’s most celebrated chefs and talent to host the main festival events and will be presented by VisitDallas, in partnership
with 2018 honorary co-chairs Chad Houser, the founder, CEO, and executive chef, Café Momentum and Paige Chenault the founder of the Birthday Party Project.
“Dallas is quite a culinary destination. Savor Dallas is the city’s premier culinary experience, and our increased partnership allows VisitDallas to attract overnight visitors to experience Dallas’ gastronomic wonders,” said Frank Librio, Chief Marketing Officer of VisitDallas.
Both Savor Dallas and VisitDallas have similar goals in continuing to elevate Dallas’ vibrant culinary community with a destination food and drink experience and Kevin Thornburg, general manager of CrowdSource, the events division of Belo Media Group, which has produced the festival since 2015 added “We look forward to celebrating that synergy during the 2018 festival and beyond.”
Additional sponsors for this year’s festival also include Chase Private Client, Downtown Dallas Inc., Goody Goody, Lifeway, Modelo, Roxor Artisan Gin, See’s Candies, Southwest Kia, Sprint, and Whole Foods Market.
Opening Night at Dallas Farmers Market will consist of ’Cue It Up! with Tim Byres of Smoke and Todd David of Cattleack Barbeque playing with fire and featuring smoked flavors—both savory and sweet.
Of course, the Grand Tasting on Saturday, May 19 is always a favorite this year with Alex Astranti, Uchi and Uchiba; Jill Bates, Fearing’s; Junior Borges, The Joule; Anastacia Quiñones, The Cedars Social and Kent Rathbun, Imoto creating a culinary centerpiece and featuring 50-plus chefs, hundreds of wines, and countless spirits merged together as a mega destination for gourmands of all kinds. The Grand Tasting will be located in an outdoor barbecue lounge with live entertainment.
As in year’s past Savor Dallas will be raising funds to benefit Café Momentum and The Birthday Party Project in order to raise awareness and help positively impact the lives of the city's next generation.
Ticket prices range between $35 to $250, with à la carte options and all-inclusive packages available for the weeklong event.