Strathmore Music Center will become the county’s food center this weekend, as celebrity and local chefs take part in a variety of events featuring the latest in culinary creations.
The two day Appetite Festival includes a happy hour and presentation on Friday night featuring Food Network chef Giada De Laurentiis and a day-long Saturday event with cooking classes, food purveyors and Travel Channel star Andrew Zimmern.
Get a Saturday ticket – The bulk of the culinary experience will take place on the music center’s grounds on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. This includes chefs talking about their cooking techniques, food trucks parked and selling their creations, as well as wine and cheese workshops. The Saturday day pass is $50. Andrew Zimmern, the Travel Channel celebrity chef, is the headliner Saturday night, but to see him speak you’ll have to pay $85 for the Saturday all-access pass, which includes orchestra seats, or between $44 and $128 for an individual ticket to see Zimmern, without entry to the festival. If you were looking forward to seeing Giada De Laurentiis, the Food Network star, you’d also need a ticket to the Friday evening event. If you must go both days, an all-access weekend pass is $150.
Explore the grounds – Strathmore is making use of all of its buildings and land for this event. Chefs will be holding grilling how-tos at “The Mansion Grill,” food purveyors will be talking food and drink pairings at Music Center 402, cooking workshops will take place in the mansion music room, the main stage will be used for headliner presentations, a party on the patio is scheduled for both Friday and Saturday nights, there will be a craft beer garden on the Bou Terrace, and outdoor games and contests on the gazebo lawn.
Try some local food trucks – Some of the region’s most notable food trucks will be parked at the event on Saturday. The Food Truck Court will feature the Corned Beef King (which recently relocated to Bethesda), Woodlands Vegan Bistro, Red Hook Lobster Pound, The Culinary Nomad and Dolci Gelati.
Learn a new culinary skill – The festival includes a number of “Talk & Taste” events featuring chefs and food purveyors. The only catch is that it’s impossible to attend each one because some take place at the same time. Highlights include:
- Robert Wiedmaier, the executive chef at the Wiedmaier Restaurant Group, which includes Bethesda’s Mussel Bar & Grille, making pan seared diver scallops and mussels provencal from 4 to 5:45 p.m. at Music Center 405.
- A Saturday morning wake-up with coffee and chocolate. Swing’s Coffee Roasters and Jill Sandler of The Chocolatier’s Palette will explore the relationship between the drink and the sweet from 11 to 11:45 a.m. at the mansion’s music room.
- Jaleo, the Bethesda tapas restaurant, showing off some of chef Jose Andres’ favorite Spanish dishes from 6 to 6:45 p.m. at the Mansion Grill.
Sip some wine (or bourbon) – Several liquor and wine distributors will offer tastings in the north lobby and promenade as well as on the sun porch. Reyka Vodka, Milagro Tequila, Rocklands Farm, Republic National Distributing Company and Vino Volo will have samples of the spirits and wines they offer from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Enjoy a party and pig roast on the patio – Scott Drewno of D.C.’s The Source is hosting a pig roast on the music center’s patio from 5 to 7:30 p.m. And if you’re thirsty, Restaurant Associates will be selling drinks on the patio, as well.