Nearly 48,000 guests celebrated the 15th anniversary of the New York City Wine and Food Festival (NYCWFF). The four-day event (October 13-16) showcased the talents of the world’s most renowned chefs, wine and spirit producers, culinary personalities and television chefs. Proceeds from the festival will help God’s Love We Deliver, whose mission is to nourish New Yorkers affected by severe illness. Founded in 1985 as a response to the AIDs pandemic, the organization cooks and home delivers free meals to clients. In 2021, God’s Love We Deliver provided food to 2.6 million individuals. www.glwd.org

NYCWFF is the largest wine and food festival in NYC with over 80 plus events. Guests sipped and savored at intimate dinners as well as walk around tastings. To date, the festival has generated over 14 million for those in need.

“The main purpose of the entire weekend is not just to eat and drink. We’re raising funds to help feed people. That feeds your soul,” said Rachel Ray.

Grand Tasting

The Signature Grand Tasting took place at Pier 76 overlooking the Hudson River. The appeal of this event is that is provides guests with the ultimate NYC food and drink experience. The open-air venue allows guests to walk around and sample hundreds of wines and spirits from Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits vendors as well as taste unlimited bites from the best restaurants in NYC. The afternoon also offered culinary demonstrations from Food Network personalities. The Grand Tasting pays homage to local restaurants, chefs and mixologists. It was a memorable event for food and wine enthusiasts.

Peroni Taste of Italy

This Italian experience took place at Pier 86, home of the Intrepid Museum. Hosts Alex Guarnaschelli and Scott Conant presented the best of NYC Italian restaurants featuring pasta, pizza, meatballs and more. Guests sampled from local eateries like Arthur & Sons, Via Vai, Lombardo’s, Bruno’s Bakery & Restaurant and Nonna Dora’s Pasta Bar. It was an evening of mangia and amore.

Save the date. The festival will return in 2023 from October 12-15. www.nycwff.org