TerraVita Food Festival will showcase talented chefs and artisans for the last time in October

 By Cameron Lee

July 10, 2019

TerraVita Food & Drink Festival, the multi-day food event launched in 2010 by food activist Colleen Minton will be bringing together award-winning chefs, authors, artisans, makers, media and farmers for last time this October in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

“Just as the North Carolina food and beverage scene has matured over the last decade, so has our family! I feel like our community has grown and flourished– and I think the timing is about as good as it gets,” said Minton in a press release.

Photo: Stacey Price Sprenz

Among the notable chefs at the tenth anniversary festival will include: Vivian Howard (Chef & The Farmer, A Chef’s Life), Sam Jones (Skylight Inn), Keith Rhodes (Catch Wilmington), Ashley Boyd (300 East), Joe Kindred, Ricky Moore (Saltbox Seafood), and many more talented chefs and food industry professionals.

The festival will kick off on Wednesday, October 16, at the Fearrington Barn in Pittsboro with nine chefs working on a collaborative East Meets West Dinner hosted by Colin Bedford of The Fearrington House. On Thursday night, some of the region’s top pitmasters will come together for an evening of delectable barbecue.

TerraVita will also host a special dinner on Friday night honoring the late Durham pastry chef Karen Barker, best known for her work at Magnolia Grill, a restaurant she founded with husband Ben Barker.

Terra Vita 2018 Fall Fête photo by Eric Waters

The main event on Saturday will be the Fall Fête on The Green at Southern Village in Chapel Hill featuring tastings from more than 40 chefs and artisans. You can also taste as many as 60 sustainably-produced beverages, including kombucha; organic coffee; biodynamic, organically-grown and natural wines; and sustainably-produced microbrews and spirits. The all-inclusive ticket for the afternoon tasting event is $80; designated driver tickets are available for $65.

Among the other highlights of the festival is its waste program. More than 22,000 pounds of waste have been diverted over the past nine festivals through composting and recycling through their strategic partnership with Orange County Solid Waste Management and Brooks Contractors.

Tickets for TerraVita Food & Drink Festival happening October 16-19 are now on sale. Follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more announcements.

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