Highlights: Food Network’s Aarón Sánchez and guest Marc Murphy plus a food and wine festival
I was looking at an official guide to the upcoming (Feb. 24-27) South Beach Wine and Food Festival (SOBE WFF), and I came across at least five top chefs who have been – or will be – top attractions in Tallahassee.
Cleaver and Cork, the premier culinary experience in the city and the fundraiser sponsored by the Tallahassee Community College TCC Foundation, has presented some of the best-known chefs in our own backyard, including Marcus Samuelsson, Alex Guarnaschelli, Geoffrey Zakarian and 2022’s headliner, chef Aarón Sánchez, along with guest chef, Marc Murphy.
It’s a great opportunity to see these chefs and learn more about who they are and their particular culinary skills and tips. Cleaver and Cork will feature four segments, beginning with a cocktail party on Feb. 27, and including the Food and Wine Festival, which debuted in the ‘21 event. All proceeds this year will benefit the TCC Foundation’s support of the college’s athletic programs.
While some events are sold out, you can still get tickets to Toast and Talk, which will feature both Sánchez and Murphy on stage from 6 to 7:30 p.m. March 3, cooking together and since they’re friends, there’s like to be some friendly teasing. It’s the first time the event has featured two celebrity chefs together. Tickets are $45 (in-person) and $25 (virtual) and $50 for an autographed cookbook.
One of the highlights is bound to be Cleaver and Cork’s Food and Wine Festival, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 5. The event will feature 40 tasting tents as well as live cooking demonstrations by chef Marc Murphy, chef Justin Timineri, and chef Leon Brunson along with in-person and virtual master classes. Classes will include topics such as Mastering Bourbon, Mastering Bubbly, Crafting the Perfect Cheese Board and Crafting the Perfect Cocktail. Tickets are $75 for the Gold Ticket to $300 for a VIP Ticket. It’s $25 for a master class add-on and $50 for an autographed cookbook.
I had the chance to do a phone interview with Aarón Sánchez in December and he was delightful. To find out more about the chef, I hope you’ll read my story in the Tallahassee Democrat.
FYI: Sánchez, chef/owner of the restaurant Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans, is a judge on Fox’s competition series, MasterChef and MasterChef Junior. He also appeared in several Food Network shows including Chopped and Chopped Junior (both as a judge), Heat Seekers and Chef vs. City. He was the host of the Cooking Channel’s Emmy-nominated series, Taco Trip, and hosted two Spanish-language shows on Fox Life, 3 Minutos con Aarón, and the travel-food series, Motochefs.
Find tickets and more information: https://cleaverandcorktcc.com/.
