Music City Food + Wine Festival Illuminates Music and Menus

Harvest Night finale. Pictured (L-R): Kings of Leon’s Jared Followill, Caleb Followill; Cage The Elephant’s Matt Shultz; alongside Chris Coleman. Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman

Maturing like a fine wine, the fourth annual Music City Food + Wine Festival has become a must-experience destination for Nashville. Taking place Saturday–Sunday (Sept. 17-18, 2016), afternoon events featured more locally-centered purveyors at the Bicentennial Mall State Park. By contrast, the sold-out Harvest Night evening on Saturday showcased globally-known chefs and music artists in the Walk of Fame Park.

Well-known Nashville band the Long Players backed a slew of talent including Charles Kelley, Lee Ann Womack, Hunter Hayes, Holly Williams and Aaron Lewis, among others.

Grand Taste tasting session cheers. Photo: Cambria Harkey

Pictured (L-R): Editor in Chief of Food & Wine Magazine, Nilou Motamed with Adele’s Nashville/Bajo Sexto restaurateur Jonathan Waxman. Photo: Cambria Harkey

Artists turned to the ’80s for inspiration to create the setlist after guests were had finished grazing throughout the park. Among the tasteful tributes were Williams’ cover of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer,” Womack’s version of John Waite’s “Missing You,” and an appearance from Men at Work’s Colin Hay, who ‘covered’ his own “Down Under” and “Overkill.”

Holly Williams (R) with husband, musician Chris Coleman (L). Photo: Cambria Harkey

Kelley’s charisma paired well on Wham!’s “Careless Whisper” in addition to a reverb-saturated stab at Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing.” Hayes electrified guitar rocked a cover of Bruce Hornsby and the Range’s “The Way It Is” before tearing up Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” Dot Records artist and STAIND frontman Lewis delivered The Cars’ “Drive” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”

Charles Kelley. Photo: Cambria Harkey

Caleb Followill of Kings of Leon—the band that produced the festival alongside chef Jonathan Waxman, Vector Management’s Ken Levitan and Andy Mendelsohn, and Austin-based C3 Presents—took to the stage to cover Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire.” Jessie Baylin, wife of Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill, performed Sade’s “Smooth Operator” and was a guest vocalist for Langhorne Slim‘s cover of the Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle with Care” and the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.” Nashville-based Cage the Elephants‘ Matt Shultz took aim at The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah” before the finale welcomed all artists for Modern English’s “I Melt With You.”

Gale Mayes and her Gospel Brunch. Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman

Saturday’s rainy afternoon broke for a blue-sky Gospel Brunch on Sunday presented by phenomenal Gale Mayes and friends. The semi-impromptu annual dance party ensued around the DJ booth to wrap the 2016 event. Among those sampling the sounds and flavors this year were actor Chace Crawford, Taylor Swift, and Caleb Followill’s wife and Victoria Secret Angel Lily Aldridge.

Kings of Leon’s Nathan Followill lends a hand during a chef demo. Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman

Grand Taste Highlights: Jim ‘N Nicks Bar-B-Q alternated between a pulled pork slider and taco. Mangia’s offered hot Italian sausage sandwiches. And local tastes in Williams-Sonoma’s USA Pan tent included Utterly Nashville’s gold leaf macaron and Sweet 16th’s brownies and cookies. For beverages, Ferrari-Carano’s Spirit of Italy red blend and Kenny Chesney’s Blue Chair Bay rum were featured.

Harvest Night Highlights: Ludo Lefebvre served crispy tapioca, parmesan and passion fruit chili. Tony Mantuano presented polenta and sunny side up quail egg, garnished with summer truffle and grana padano. Alternatively, Florida’s 30A chef Scott Plumley offered a fantastic chocolate truffle, in the newly-added and much needed dessert section of Harvest Night.

Chef Nick Pellegrino of Mangia Nashville. Photo: Cambria Harkey

Chef Ludo Lefebvre with his Passion Fruit Tapicoa. Photo: Cambria Harkey

Proper Bagel and brewery selections. Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman

Grilling at the Martins Bar-B-Que and Friends. Photo: Nathan Zucker

Grilling at the Martins Bar-B-Que and Friends. Photo: Charles Reagan Hackleman