May 2017 Food & Drink Happenings
Nashville Street Food Month
Kickoff
Thursday, May 4th, 2017
11 am – 2 pm
Street Food Thursdays
Deaderick & 4th Downtown
May 2017 marks the fifth annual Nashville Street Food Month! Celebrated by the more than 80 Nashville Food Truck Association members, the public can expect to find street food offered at area parks, office buildings, festivals, and events all month.
“Street Food Thursdays” will take place every week, featuring a rotating roster of 18 trucks each week at 4th & Deaderick downtown from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other regular locations to visit food trucks include Musicians Corner, Elmington Park, Centennial Park, Sevier Park, Nashville Farmers Market, Franklin Farmers Market, and food truck zones in Downtown Nashville.
Special events include Eat the Street in Franklin featuring 40 trucks on May 5th; Franklin Hot Air Balloon Festival on May 6th; Battle in the Burbs food truck competition in Hendersonville, May 6th; Sevier Park Fest on May 5th & 6th; Children Are People Springfest in Hendersonville, May 6th; 40th Annual Bellevue Community Picnic at Red Caboose Park, May 20th.
The NFTA will donate a portion of member proceeds from May sales to longtime event partner Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee at the conclusion of Nashville Street Food Month.
Generous Helpings
Thursday, May 11th, 2017
6 – 9 pm
City Winery
609 Lafayette St
Nashville, TN 37203
Cost: $50/person in advance here
(note: this event WILL sell out, so don’t wait until the last minute to buy your tickets!)
I already wrote in detail about this event last week, so if you want to read more, go here. In summary: Generous Helpings is my favorite tasting event of the year, so you should go!
And just a reminder of some of the awesome restaurants that will be offering up tastes this year:
Amerigo Italian Restaurant
Barcelona Wine Bar
Caffe Nonna
Christie Cookies
City Winery
Delta Bound
Eighth & Roast
etc.
Fin & Pearl
Funk Seoul Brother
Goo Goo Shop & Dessert Bar
The Grilled Cheeserie
Holler & Dash
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Kroger Chef Shoppe featuring Murray’s Cheese
Olive & Sinclair
Pancho & Lefty’s Cantina
Salt & Vine
Second Harvest’s Culinary Arts Center
SILO
Sinema
Smoke et Al
Tànsuŏ
Thai Esane
That Awesome Taco Truck
Von Elrod’s Beer Garden & Sausage House
Vui’s Kitchen
Savor Nashville Chef Dinner
Thursday, May 11th, 2017
6 – 9 pm
Hutton Hotel
1808 West End Ave
Nashville, TN 37203
Cost: $165/person (includes tax & gratuity)
Since it’s on the same night as Generous Helpings this year, sadly I won’t be able to attend Nashville Lifestyles’ Savor Nashville Celebrity Chef Dinner. BUT, I can vouch for what a great experience it is, as I’ve participated several times in the past. And this year they put a really cool twist on it, as they’ll be showcasing ALL Nashville chefs! Just goes to show how much our food scene has grown in recent years.
Benefiting the James Beard Award Foundation and Make-A-Wish of Middle Tennessee, the Chef Dinner will feature a cocktail hour followed by a 6-course seated dining experience with wine pairings.
“Nashville is a shining star in today’s culinary landscape, and we are really excited about coming back to Music City,” says Jeff Black, Director of the James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour. “We have an amazing lineup of chefs for this year’s dinner and their food promises to be an exhilarating experience for the taste buds.”
The amazing chef lineup:
Kerri Roach, 1808 Grille
Tandy Wilson, City House
Andrew Little, Josephine
Maneet Chauhan, Chauhan Ale and Masala House
Matt Bolus, The 404 Kitchen
To get your tickets for this sure-to-be-incredible meal, visit the ticketing site.
5th Annual Beer & Cheese
Tuesday, May 16th, 2017
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Black Abbey Brewing Company
2952 Sidco Drive
Nashville, TN 37204
Cost: $30/person (in advance here, $35 at the door)
Note: for an additional $10, you can go on a guided tour of Black Abbey
This year marks the 5th annual Beer & Cheese fundraiser for Tennessee Respite Coalition and they’re shaking things up with a new partner at a new location: Black Abbey Brewing Company. The $30 ticket gets you entrance, a tasting cup and unlimited samples of the beer and cheese pairings selected by Black Abbey and Bloomy Rind. The new location also allows for an add-on to your ticket, as you can go on a guided tour of the brewery for an additional $10.
If you’re not familiar with TRC, it’s a nonprofit that helps family caregivers, people who spend much of their time caring for family members in need (such as parents with Alzheimer’s, spouses with Parkinson’s or children with special needs), by giving them much-needed time off. My family has had firsthand experience in situations like these, so I know how hard these caregivers work, and how desperately they need a break from time to time. Organizations like TRC are such a blessing, and all of the proceeds from this event go directly to help keep them running.
Help out a great cause and get your tickets now!
Richland Park MarketFest
Saturday, May 20th, 2017
9 am – 4 pm
Richland Park
Charlotte Ave & 46th Ave (in Sylvan Park)
Nashville, TN
Cost: FREE
On Saturday, May 20th, the Sylvan Park Neighborhood Association will host their annual festival, Richland Park MarketFest, marking opening day of Richland Park Farmer’s Market. With over 50 farm, food and artisan vendors + community organizations, all day live music and dance performances hosted by Lightning 100, a Beer Garden sponsored by Fat Bottom Brewery, free yoga by Small World Yoga, Wishing Chair Productions’ Puppet Truck, the Sylvan Park Neighborhood Yard Sale, and Friends of the Library Book Sale, there is something for EVERYONE!
And yes, that means kiddos too. Kid-friendly activities throughout the day:
- outdoor inflatables
- Charlotte’s Garden (hands-on gardening experience with Botanical Society’s Todd Breyer)
- Wishing Chair’s Puppet Truck courtesy of Nashville Public Library
- story time with the Richland Park Library (9:30 am)
- performance by Mr. Steve (10 am)
For more information on the Richland Park MarketFest, go here. The Richland Park Farmer’s Market will continue every Saturday morning throughout the rest of the year, featuring 30-40 farmers, vendors and food trucks each week. For more information, please go here.
Tennessee Brew Works Block Party
Saturday, May 20th, 2017
Noon – 10 pm
Tennessee Brew Works
809 Ewing Ave
Nashville, TN 37203
Cost: $10/person
Tennessee Brew Works is throwing a huge outdoor music party later this month that will feature musical acts from partner the Basement East. And of course there will be plenty of great food and beer flowing, and not just from Tennessee Brew Works. They’ll have New Heights Brewing, Jackalope, Yazoo, Rock Bottom, Czann’s Brewery and more!
As if beer and music wasn’t enough, the event also benefits a worthy cause, the Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary. To purchase tickets in advance, click here.
