Grand Tasting – Photo by Crystal Springs

This year marks the 10th annual New Jersey Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort. The weekend-long Festival takes place May 4 – 6, 2018. To mark this milestone, Crystal Springs has partnered with ment’or to jointly celebrate the 10^th anniversaries of both organizations. Ment’or was founded by Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jérôme Bocuse to support the next generation of chefs and to fund a team to compete in the biannual Bocuse d’Or competition, which the U.S. team won for the first time in 2017.

This year’s Festival will be the largest collection of chefs and winemakers yet, featuring renowned Chefs Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud, as well as the complete Bocuse d’Or USA teams from 2007 to 2017, which include highly regarded chefs like Michael White, Gavin Kaysen (a James Beard award nominee) and Bryan Voltaggio (Top Chef).

2018 New Jersey Wine & Food Festival Schedule

Friday May 4

7pm     Champagne Reception Guests meet the chefs while enjoying Krug Champagne and hors d’oeuvres from Restaurant Latour ($50, included in Wine Cellar dinner).

7:30pm Wine Cellar Dinner with Chef Thomas Keller and Marc Perrin of Chateau de Beaucastel
($1,000 inclusive of accommodations, tax and gratuity).

8pm    Ment’or Anniversary Dinner with Gavin Kaysen (Spoon and Stable, MN; James Beard Award nominee), Bryan Voltaggio, (VOLT, MD; Top Chef & Top Chef Masters), Matthew Kirkley (Team USA 2019), Justin Cogley (Aubergine, Carmel, CA), and Martyna Krowicka ($295 plus tax & gratuity).

8pm     Chef’s Garden Dinner with Chef Anthony Bucco and Chef Michael White ($295 plus tax & gratuity).

Saturday May 5

8am     Chef & Winemaker Golf Tournament Play 18 holes with chefs and winemakers ($149, includes lunch)

8:30am & 10am Sip, Stretch & Sparkle Start the day with a yoga session and a glass of sparkling wine ($30)

10am   Doughnuts & Coffee – Doughnuts from Montclair Bread Co. paired with coffee from NJ’s own Coffee Afficionado ($25)

11am   Spring Foraging with local forager Heather Housemaker ($25)

12pm – 3pm   Marketplace Lunch with local New Jersey wines and products served ($45)

12pm   Perfect Pizza Pairings Build your own pizza! ($35)

12pm   Pasture to Table with Fossil Farms and Trinchero wines ($40)

1pm      Sake and Ramen featuring New Jersey’s own Ani Ramen ($40)

1pm      Rose All Day Kick off rose season with selections from around the world ($45)

2pm      97 & Above Taste highly rated wines – all 97 points or above in Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate ($75)

2pm     The Art of Charcuterie Take a peek inside Crystal Springs’ charcuterie program and enjoy wines from The Hess Collection ($45)

3pm     Krug Vertical Tasting This unique tasting will highlight three recent vintages – 2002, 2003, 2004 and the current release of Krug Grande Cuvee ($95)

3pm     Uruguay Wines & American Beef Tastings of farm raised beef paired with the wines of Uruguay’s Bodega Garzon ($45)

3pm & 4pm   Garden State Culinary Throwdown (2 sessions) In each throwdown, 3 NJ chefs compete by cooking a dish from a basket of secret ingredients with the audience choosing the winner ($35)

4pm     Raising the Bar cocktail seminar with cocktail enthusiast and author Beth Ritter Nydick of Blue Barn Kitchen ($45)

6:30 / 7pm – 10pm  The Grand Tasting is the Festival’s signature event featuring more than 200 wines from over 50 wineries and bites from 50 top restaurants ($150; VIP $250; VIP admission  6:30pm, General Admission 7pm). Highlights of The Grand Tasting:

• The VIP Experience: two floors of outstanding wines and spirits with tastings from Michelin-starred restaurants including Per Se, Daniel, Restaurant Latour, the upcoming Felina and more.
• Restaurant participants highlight New Jersey’s best including: Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, Fascino, Mistral, Ani Ramen, Agricola, Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas, Crystal Tavern, Heirloom Kitchen, Blue Morel, Osteria Morini, Common Lot, Viaggio, Halifax, Montclair Bread Co, Pig & Prince, 17 Summer Restaurant, Bell Market, Andre’s, Saly G’s, Orama, Piattino, Cardinal Provisions and more.
• A wide range of wineries and Champagne houses from around the world.
• Live entertainment by the thirty-two piece David Aaron Orchestra

10pm – 1am   Meet the Chefs and Winemakers After Party with open bars, DJ, buffets and more ($150). 

Sunday May 6

10am – 1pm   Champagne Brunch A lavish, decadent brunch buffet accompanied by Champagne ($50).

Tickets for the 2018 New Jersey Wine & Food Festival are available at www.njwinefoodfest.com. Resort reservations are available as well at 855.977.6473.

About Crystal Springs Resort   http://www.crystalgolfresort.com/

Located in Hamburg, Hardyston and Vernon, NJ, Crystal Springs Resort is the only four-season resort of its kind in the Tri-State Area. Comprised of two luxury hotels – Grand Cascades Lodge and Minerals Resort & Spa; six renowned public golf courses; four-star Restaurant Latour; a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine cellar since 2006; two full-service spas ranked #19 in Spas of America’s Top 100 Spas; the state-of-the-art Minerals Sports Club; and multiple indoor and outdoor pools, including the distinctive Biosphere Pool Complex with an underground aquarium, tropical foliage and free form nature pools.

About Ment’or   http://www.mentorbkb.org/

The ment’or BKB Foundation is a nonprofit that aims to educate and inspire excellence in young culinary professionals and also preserve the traditions and quality of cuisine in America. Ment’or is led by Founders Chefs Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jérôme Bocuse, as well as an esteemed Culinary Council of over forty renowned chefs. Educational grants and internships are offered to culinary professionals through the Continuing Education Program. The Young Chef and Commis Competitions offer yet another opportunity for them to further their careers. Ment’or is also responsible for recruiting, training, and financially supporting the promising young American talents who represent Team USA in the prestigious biennial Bocuse d’Or competition, held in Lyon, France. For the first time in history, Team USA 2017 won the coveted Gold Medal at the Bocuse d’Or.