WINE & FOOD WEEK Awards $5,000 to Chef Nancy Manlove Capping A Gem of A Celebrations and 20 Years
A gem of a celebration it was. The 20TH Annual celebration of Wine & Food Week concluded in The Woodlands with a $5,000 check presentation and final closing ceremony capping off an extraordinary week of culinary and winemaking achievement with 20th Anniversary special guests, foodie friends, chefs, and winemakers from across the U.S. coming together to raise a glass in honor of this annual food fete.
All total, the week featured chef teams totaling more than 125, 75 restaurants, 500 wines, numerous educational seminars, and various culinary events ranging from Get Frosted at Rose Way to the elegant Ladies of the Vine Tasting, Luncheon & Panel Discussion and culminating in the show-stopping Emerald Ball themed Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase.
A highlight was the celebratory toast inducting the dynamic power food couple Chris Shepherd and Lindsey Brown into the Hall of Fame for their decades of culinary achievements including the formation of Southern Smoke Foundation which has donated more than 11.7 million to food and beverage workers. The event also highlighted longtime partner H-E-B.
“Twenty Years ago, I was lucky enough to meet Constance and Clifton McDerby at the Woodlands Corporate Office for HEB, explained Mike Warren, Director of Corporate Merchandising. “They had the ideas and the work ethic to put together this spectacular event for our customers. Wine & Food Week is about how great food may be paired with your favorite beverage; but it is also focused on the community, friendships, and education for our customers. At HEB, we think it is our favorite event of the year! Thanks to the entire team at Food & Vine Time Productions!”
The Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase was the ultimate adult playground where guests sipped from a selection of hundreds of wines like a 2017 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages, a 2013 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2019 Ceretto Barolo, and a Kiepersol Bourbon Barrel Sangiovese while sampling dishes like Braised wagyu short rib with chile Morrison and chile ancho, served with corn maize porridge and chipilin leaves from El Quetzal Bakery & Restaurant; a Truffle macaron served with a truffle dulce de leche, classic beef tartar, yuzu & ponzu gel, cured egg yolks and a seaweed crisp from Infini Aruba; a Lychee Ceviche Served with coconut, ginger, serrano, curry leaf, watermelon radish from Musaafer and a Pork lumpia- grape leaf vermicelli, labneh and sweet chili sauce from Lymbar. Plus, an additional eight dessert chefs who created sweet treats like Mini Tres Leches, Billionaire Brownies, and bourbon chocolate pecan pie.
Chef Nancy Manlove of Puff by Nancy Manlove took top honors including a $5,000 cash prize along with the trophy presented by Chef Fernando Desa with GOYA Foods for a Puff pastry filled with a swirled duck Foie Gras Mousse and à l ‘Orange whipped brie mousse topped with a hot honey fruitta chutney mostrada drizzle and crisp duck bacon bits, bee pollen and edible wafer bees and fresh flowers.
Second Place went to Chef David Guerrero of Andes Café for Encebollado, a dish which originates from Ecuador’s Valdiva culture known for their culinary lifestyle using seafood and local herbs. Salted fish, and cassava are cooked in water, red onion tanned in lemon and salt, a drizzle of olive oil, parsley and a broth made from tomatoes, onions, chili, coriander, and cumin to form a base for the soup, called sofrito.
Third place went to Chef Richard Huber – Swift & Company for his Smoked Wagyu Short Ribs, Black Truffle Au Gratin Potatoes, Black Currant Bordelaise with Brown Butter Caramelized Kimchi.
The Just Desserts winner based on popular vote went to Chef Kady Miller of Alchemy Bake Labs.
“Toasting to 20 years is truly a dream come true. It’s a testament to our unwavering commitment to the culinary community, demystifying wine and making it more approachable, the shared joys, and countless cherished memories that have brought us to this remarkable milestone” said Wine & Food Week Co-Founder Constance McDerby.
“When we first set out to create a multi-day culinary and wine event, I’m not sure I would have imagined that 20 years later we would have raised over $2 million for countless charities, built this family of volunteers, and gained the support of winemakers and chefs throughout the world. But we did. Clifton and I count ourselves immensely blessed, and we’re already looking forward to 2025, themed “Going Places” added McDerby.
Wine & Food Week’s 20th Anniversary celebration supported charitable organizations New Danville, The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council, The Montgomery County Food Bank and Southern Smoke Foundation. Food & Vine Time Productions has raised well over two million dollars through various channels for local charities over the years.
For more Wine & Food Week fun, make plans to attend the Platinum Wine Vault Friday September 20 at Bayway Cadillac and the H-E-B Wine Walk at Market Street on Thursday, October 17. Information at www.wineandfoodweek.com
Photos courtesy of Wine & Food Week