New 5-day Wichita culinary festival will be a celebration of food, drink, restaurants
A new culinary festival is happening in Wichita next month, and it’s sure to appeal to local foodies.
Called Crave Culinary Festival, the event is a benefit for Mark Arts, the arts organization at 1307 N. Rock Road that has been focusing on the culinary arts since it moved into its new $19 million building — equipped with an industrial-grade kitchen for cooking classes— in 2018. The festival is scheduled for Sept. 21-25 and will offer five days of culinary and drink workshops led by local and national experts.
The festival will feature several how-to classes on making everything from creme brulee to cocktails. Well-known Wichita chefs and cooks are among the presenters, and the event will include a farm-to-table dinner as well as presentations that include bites from several of Wichita’s most popular restaurants, including The Belmont, Chester’s Chophouse, Scotch & Sirloin and more. A big foodie fair will conclude the festival and include food from many other Wichita restaurants and bakeries.
Katharine Elder, the Elderslie Farm chef who helped organize the event, said that it was “born out of a desire to showcase the vibrant culinary scene in Wichita and continue to encourage the development of the culinary arts through Mark Arts programming.
“We are thrilled with this community’s support of the Mark Arts’ culinary classes, and hope to celebrate our shared passion for the culinary arts and local culture at all levels, from beginning cooks and food lovers to the most seasoned professionals in our best local restaurants and shops,” she said.
Here’s the lineup of events. Tickets are on sale now at markartsks.com.
Craft brews and bites: The first event on the agenda is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 21. Those who attend will be able to try craft brews and enjoy bites from Chef Natasha Gandhi-Rue, owner of The Kitchen at 725 E. Douglas. Dave Leff of Free State Brewing will talk about pairing beers with food. That workshop is $50 a person.
Creme Brulee Culinary Workshop: Also on Tuesday, Sept. 21, is this class, which starts at 6 p.m. It will be led by Mark Arts instructor Gigi Gonzales, who will demonstrate how to make perfect creme brulee. The workshop is $55.
Cocktails 101: On Wednesday, Sept. 22, this 6 p.m. workshop will feature lessons on creating cocktails using J. Rieger & Co whiskey, gin and vodka. The session will be led by Standard Beverage’s Brock Mellinger and Karl Lakin and The Belmont’s Becky Reynolds. Class members also will get to enjoy bruschetta appetizers from The Belmont. It’s $50.
Hawaiian Luau Culinary Workshop: Also on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m., former Wichita Eagle food editor and regular MarkArts instructor Joe Stumpe will teach students how to prepare a beach-ready Luau featuring Kalua pork, Shoyu chicken, poke, Hawaiian fried rice, mac salad and pineapple upside down cupcakes. The cost is $75.
Farm to Table Dinner: At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23, Elderslie Farm chef Katharine Elder will serve a farm-to-table meal made with produce from local growers. Standard Beverage will provide wine pairings. The coast of the meal is $175 a person.
Riedl Wine Tasting: Attendees at this session, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24, will get to sample four wines using Riedl’s newest Performance wine glasses, and they’ll get to take home a set of four glasses. After the tasting concludes, Scotch & Sirloin will serve heavy appetizers with wine pairings by Standard Beverage. The price is $200 a person.
Keeper’s Heart Whiskey Kansas Premiere: At 6 p.m. on Saturday, attendees at this workshop will be the first in Kansas to try O’Shaughnessy Distilling Company’s new Keeper’s Heart Whiskey. Master distiller Brian Nation will be speaking. Attendees will also get to enjoy appetizers from The Belmont and three courses from Chester’s Chophouse. The price is $225 a person.
Foodie Fair + Talks: One of the festival’s biggest events will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25. Those who purchase $40 tickets will have access to bites from local chefs and restaurants and adult beverages served from a cash bar. (Organizers still have room to add restaurants to the Foodie Fair, and those interested should contact Madeline Goseland at 316-932-1796 or mgoseland@MarkArtsKS.com.) So far, several popular Wichita restaurants have signed on, including Himali Eats, Napoli, Tanya’s Soup Kitchen, Viola’s Pantry, Frost Bakery and more.
That event also will include several presentations. At 11 a.m., chef and restaurant owner Kiki Louya from Detroit, who also was a contestant on “Top Chef,” will deliver the keynote speech. At noon, I’ll be there talking about my new book, “Classic Restaurants of Wichita,” and signing copies. At 1 p.m., there will be a speech from a Cargill representative about raising beef for steaks. At 2 p.m., Nancy Taylor from The Plaid Giraffe and Mary Billing from Love of Character will share tips on setting the perfect table.
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 11:25 AM.
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