Monticello's Heritage Harvest Festival 2018
Monticello's Heritage Harvest Festival comes food, history, culture and 11 James Beard-affiliated chefs
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You don't have to book it to a big city to find countless years of history, 11 James Beard-affiliated chefs and hundreds of heirloom fruit varieties all in one place: All you have to do is visit Charlottesville, Virginia.
Right outside the Southern spot, you'll find Monticello's 12th annual Heritage Harvest Festival on Saturday, September 22. The day-long festival is a celebration of Thomas Jefferson's culinary legacy. There'll be heirloom tomato tastings, a seed swap, food trucks, family-friendly activities and more. On top of that, nearly a dozen James Beard Foundation-affiliated chefs will be on hand for demos, talks, book signings and more, including:
• Samin Nosrat, whose Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat won a 2018 James Beard Foundation Book Award
• Michael Twitty, winner of the 2018 book of the year award for The Cooking Gene
• Ian Boden, chef/owner of Virginia restaurant The Shack, who has been nominated twice for the Best Chef Mid-Atlantic James Beard Award
After you mingle with these culinary stars, wander through Jefferson's 1,000-foot-long garden, (which has been called "an Ellis Island of introduced plants"), check out the goods from local craft merchants and visit the adorable miniature farm animal petting zoo.
It promises to be a unique experience where you're at once stepping back in time *and* getting access to present day's buzziest chefs, so get tickets and get excited.