This May, the Bay Area will hold its first-ever POC Food & Wine Festival, featuring local chefs including “Top Chef” stars, wine and spirits makers, DJs and vendors selling everything from spice blends to French pastries and Asian snacks.
The festival takes place from May 2 through 5 at various locations in San Francisco and Berkeley. Tickets for the main event on May 4 are on sale on a sliding scale beginning at $117 until April 26, at which point they go up to $195 for a one-day pass. Other events, including intimate meals with chefs, have their own separate admissions.
The main bash on May 4 in Berkeley’s Ciel Creative Space features 14 food-and-drink pairings from local chefs, tastings from various beverage companies, two music stages, art installations, food vendors and an art-and-retail marketplace. The list of chefs participating is long, but just to highlight some well-known names, it includes Oakland’s Tu David Phu, Nelson German and Monique Feybesse (all former “Top Chef” contestants), David Yoshiura of the Michelin-starred Nisei, Reem Assil of Reem’s California and Azikiwee Anderson of Rize Up Bakery.
On May 3, Assil will host a Palestinian-themed family meal for 60 people in San Francisco that features multiple shared courses and beverage pairings from the Palestinian women-owned Terah Wine ($200). And on May 5, there will be a closing meal in San Francisco hosted by Korean-American chef Haejin Chun of the supper-club outfit, Big Bad Wolf ($200). Other activities throughout the fest include a CBD Wine & Sound Bath, R&B Soul Lounge and a Brown Is Beautiful Afterparty.
The new food fest is the creation of Gina Mariko Rosales, an events creator behind things like the Undiscovered SF coalition supporting San Francisco’s Filipina culture.
Find details and purchase tickets at www.pocfoodandwine.com.
