Wine & Food Festival and Silent Auction Saturday, March 9, 2013 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn

Save 10% on General admission advance tickets purchased online. Want to save even more? Buy 10 or more tickets to this event and take advantage of our group ticket rates!

General Admission
Tickets: $50 per person at the door (Military 1/2 price at door with ID); $45 advance purchase available online.

General admission includes a souvenir wine glass and access to all of the free tastings from the domestic and international wineries, vineyards, wine distributors and more at the Festival's premier public event on Saturday, March 9, 2013. Held on the grounds of the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, ticket holders will have the opportunity to mingle with winemakers, sample hundreds of award-winning wines, learn from leaders in the food and beverage arena and enjoy gourmet treats and live music.

The first 3,000 individuals through the gate will receive an official 2013 souvenir wine glass. In addition to tasting outstanding domestic and international wines, many of the Festival's award-winning wines will be available for tasting. In collaboration with the Art League of Hilton Head, there will be en plein air artists painting throughout this year's Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival. 

The Silent Wine Auction is an opportunity to bid on impressive lots of wine. Many other popular spectator events are included once again this year in the Festival’s schedule:  Bartender’s Challenge  & Waiter’s Race; Outdoor Gourmet – where award-winning local and regional Chefs offer cooking tips, demonstrations and free samples of cuisine throughout the entire day. 

Patrons (VIP) Admission Tickets: $85 per person

Want to save on ticket purchases? Buy 10 or more Patron (VIP) tickets and take advantage of our group ticket rates!

Our very best ticket. The Patrons ticket allows early entry to the event starting at 11:00 and includes access to the Patrons/VIP tent which will be hosting among other things:

• tastings of the "Best of Show" wines, including those not currently distributed in South Carolina.
• tastings of premium wine brands.
• private tastings of our WineFest "Festini's".
• exclusive catering by Celebrations Catering & Events.
• opportunity to meet and greet with some of our local VIP's and our WineFest sponsors.
• Patron/VIP tent includes a private "lounge" area to relax and savor this year's WineFest
• includes a souvenir wine glass and access to all of the free tastings from the domestic and international wineries, vineyards, wine distributors and more.

Silent Auction
An opportunity to bid on an impressive lot of wines in the most extensive wine auction on Hilton Head Island.

Culinary Court
Sample Lowcountry favorites from a variety of the low country's top restaurants and food purveyors. 

Bartender’s Challenge & Waiter’s Race
Two fun and lively competitions that feature our local food and beverage celebrities, competing for cash prizes.

Scenes from the 2013 Bartender's Challenge & Waiters Race:

Outdoor Gourmet
Award-winning local and regional Chef’s offer cooking tips, demonstrations and free samples of outstanding cuisine throughout the day. Our Chef's schedule is listed below.

12:00 - 12:30: John Pashak

John, along with being co-owner, is the Executive Chef of the HogsHead Kitchen & Wine Bar. He is a multiple James Beard Award nominee. To find out more about John, click here to read his full bio. John will be presenting his recipe for "Seared Maine Sea Scallops". Click here for recipe details.

12:40 - 1:10: Orchid Paulmeier

Orchid is owner of One Hot Mama's & The Lodge (in partnership with the Serg Group), as well as host of WHHI's The Restaurant Show. Orchid was also featured on the Food Network reality series "The Next Food Network Star". Click here to read her full bio. Orchid will be presenting her recipe for "Key Lime Pie with Mango Puree and Habanero Cream". Click here for recipe details.

1:15 - 1:45: Roberto Leoci

Roberto's restaurant Leoci's Trattoria won the "Best Italian Food" award for 2012 by Connect Savannah Readers and Chef Roberto Leoci won the "Best Chef" award for both 2011 and 2012. Click here to read his full bio. Roberto will be presenting his recipe for "Pancetta Calabrese Arancini". Click here for recipe details.

1:50 - 2:20: Sallie Ann Robinson

Sallie Ann is a celebrity chef, television personality & cookbook author. A sixth-generation native of Daufuskie Island, she is renowned for her culinary expertise having appeared on numerous TV shows, entertaining presentations, and her knowledge of Southeastern United States Gullah culture. Click here to read her full bio. Sallie Ann will be presenting her recipe for "Smuttered Shrimp". Click here for recipe details.

2:30 -   3:00: Keith Josefiak

Keith is the Executive Chef at the Old Fort Pub, the only AAA four diamond restaurant on Hilton Head Island. Click here to read his full bio. Keith will be presenting his recipe for "Grilled Pork Tenderloin" served alongside "White Corn Crepes". Click here for recipe details.

Special Demonstrations/Events

2013 Celebrity Authors & Book Signings

Pat Branning

Author of "Shrimp, Collards & Grits". Recipes, stories and art from the creeks and gardens of the Lowcountry. 200 Lowcountry recipes, her full color, coffee table style cookbook features 150 fine art paintings.

Sallie Ann Robinson

Author of "Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way" in 2003 and "Cooking the Gullah Way, Morning, Noon, and Night" in 2007. Her 1st book successfully combined sea island recipes with personal memoir and drew critical praise from diverse reviewers. Again, with her 2nd book critics and readers alike praised the author for the storytelling quality of memoir in the book, the authenticity of the recipes, and the tasty results achieved when trying them.

Sheri Castle

Author of "The New Southern Garden Cookbook: Enjoying the Best from Homegrown Gardens, Farmers' Markets, Roadside Stands, and CSA Farm Boxes" in 2011. Offering more than 300 recipes that celebrate the pleasures of fresh, seasonal food and honors the delicious, healthful home cooked meals made possible by the diverse array of fruits and vegetable grown in the South.

Fred Thompson

Author of "Fred Thompson’s Southern Sides 250 Dishes That Really Make the Plate" in 2012. Side dishes are the very heart and soul of southern cuisine! So proclaims Fred Thompson in this heartfelt love letter to the marvelous foods on the side of the plate.

"Vines to Wines" Educational Panel Discussion. 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm

"What's Hot in Food & Wine!" A panel of food and wine experts will be discussing the latest culinary trends sweeping the country and the wineries, winemakers and wine regions to watch. Our 2013 guest panel is listed below.

Also This Year at the Wine & Food Festival:
A wider variety of gourmet treats will abound at the popular Culinary Court. Special demonstrations, educational seminars and events will take place at two stages and tents: Vines to Wines Tent and  the Celebrity Lowcountry Authors Tent. A poster competition is underway with the winning poster to be unveiled at our "Uncork" the Festival opening event on January 25th, then showcased throughout the Festival. The Patron ticket, available again this year, will allow admission to the Saturday, March 9th Wine & Food Festival, with V.I.P. Hospitality Tent access and preview access  to bid in the Silent Auction, before it opens to the general public.

The popular Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival event tickets are now available for purchase online, with advance general admission ticket discounts available for the Wine & Food Festival, Saturday, March 9, 2013. You must be 21 or older to attend the Festival events. Online tickets are also available to purchase for “Uncork” the Festival, Grand Tasting & Silent Auction and the Wine & Food Festival Patrons Tickets and new this year - group ticket sales. Buy 10 or more tickets to one event and save even more.