Escape to Columbia for the weekend to experience a culinary adventure at the city’s annual Wine & Food Festival. The Wine Lover’s Weekend Package gets you access to The Grand Tasting and Sip & Stroll,  and a keepsake Riedel wine glass. While in town, enjoy fantastic shopping at chic boutiques, an abundance of quiet cafés, soothing spas and art galleries galore! Break free from the hustle and bustle of the city and discover an oasis of fun less than two hours away. Your ticket is just $59 (plus tax and applicable ticketing fees), a savings of 16%, especially for our out-of-town attendees.  You must live 75 miles outside of Columbia in order to purchase this special pass.

Your Weekend Agenda:

Friday Evening: The Grand Tasting, 6 to 9 p.m.
• More than 200 wineries on hand with samples of more than 400 wines from all over the world.
• Enjoy live music and delicacies created by the area’s finest chefs.
• Receive your complimentary Riedel wine glass at this event.

Saturday: Sip & Stroll, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Combine two of America’s favorite pastimes – shopping and wine! This is your chance to sample great wines from around the world while you shop at Columbia’s finest merchants.
• Passports provide discounts up to 50% off any item and sometimes even a FREE gift

Local chefs will be on hand at many venues serving tapas and small plates — available exclusively to Sip & Stroll passport holders.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS

*You must live outside a 75 mile radius of Columbia, MO. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Must be 21 to attend.

Recommended Hotels: These Columbia hotels are offering a special rate for Wine Lover’s Weekend ticket holders.

• Baymont Inn & Suites, $79/night. No code necessary. 573-449-4422
• Drury Inn, $129.99/night. No code necessary. 573-445-1800
• Holiday Inn on Port Way, $119/night for standard room. Promo code “Inside Columbia rate.” 573-474-4444
• Stoney Creek Inn & Conference Center, 10% off any room rate. Promo code “AAA discount rate.” 573-442-6400
• Hampton Inn on Clark Lane, $92/night. Promo code “WFF.” 573-886-9392
• Hilton Garden Inn, $109/night for single or double room. Promo code “Food and Wine Festival rate.” 573-814-5464
• Holiday Inn Executive Center, $99.95/night. Promo code “WFF” or mention Wine & Food Festival. 573-445-8531
• Fairfield Inn & Suites, $105/night for standard room. Mention “Inside Columbia Wine and Food Festival” 573-886-8888
• Courtyard by Marriott, $86/night for deluxe king or double queen room. Promo code “FWFS” 573-443-8000
• Days Inn on I-70 Drive SW, $69/night. Promo code W&FF. 573-445-8511

Restaurateurs and their chefs open up their restaurants to create a one-of-a-kind, five-course meal. Each dinner is paired with a selection of wines that complement the fare. Winery representatives will be on hand to discuss the wines and why they were selected for a particular course.

Tuesday, May 15, 6:30 p.m.
Tickets: $75 Per Person*

*Tickets must be purchased in advance. Must be 21 to attend. Ticket price does not include gratuity.

Churchill’s

Chef Ignazio Munna

Ignazio Munna loves a challenge. As the new food and beverage director at the Holiday Inn Executive Center, he jumped right in when Churchill’s asked him to write a new all-Italian menu for the restaurant.

A native of Palermo, Italy, Munna earned a degree in culinary arts from Centro Studi Graziano in Palermo, and worked in kitchens in Germany, France and Italy before coming to the United States in 1996. St. Louis diners have enjoyed his creations at Giovanni’s, Seven Gables Inn, Zanti’s and Bartolino’s Osteria. He owned Gianfranco’s in Red Bud, Ill., before arriving in Columbia last year.

Munna likes to feature dishes from every region in Italy. He has won culinary awards in competitions from Italy to Michigan to St. Louis.

The Menu

Amuse Bouche: Zuppa di Porri e Patate
This leek Vichyssoise is a light creamy potato soup garnished with edible flower and potatoes rose

Course 1: Insalata di Caprino
Herbed goat cheese mousse with a savory tuile cracker, served with salad greens and a lemon vinaigrette

Course 2: Fettuccini Tartufate ai Funghi
Fettuccine pasta blended in a Madeira wine and cream sauce with shiitake mushrooms

Course 3: Limoncello Affogata
Palate-cleansing lemon sorbet

Course 4: Chilean Sea Bass
Pan-seared Chilean sea bass fillet served with artichoke hearts in a Chardonnay wine sauce, accompanied by braised escarole and an Asiago risotto cake

Course 5: Tiramisu Veneziano
Venetian-style tiramisu — lady fingers soaked in coffee and Amaretto di Saronno, covered with mascarpone cheese and dusted with cocoa powder

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS

The Club at Old Hawthorne

Chef Adam Wells-Morgan

Native Columbian Adam Wells-Morgan inherited his mother and grandmother’s deep-seated passion for food and cooking at a very young age. As a 17-year-old senior at Hickman High School, Wells-Morgan began working as a line cook at Trattoria Strada Nova and then moved on to the restaurant’s sister kitchen, Cucina Sorella. A 2003 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., he returned to his hometown after school to head the kitchens at Jack’s Gourmet Restaurant and Village Wine & Cheese. He has been executive chef of The Club at Old Hawthorne since it opened in 2007.

In 2010, Wells-Morgan won top honors in the 21st annual National Taste of Elegance™ contest sponsored by the National Pork Board. He also grabbed the Media’s Choice Award in the competition.

The Menu

Course 1:
Fennel pollen-crusted goat cheese, house-made pistachio and dried cherry pâté de campagne, marinated olives and cornichons, and fresh honeycomb

Course 2:
Seared diver scallop, saffron risotto cake, vanilla Champagne beurre blanc and ruby grapefruit

Course 3:
Espresso pork belly, sweet corn pudding, crispy kale, Earl Grey pomegranate syrup

Course 4:
Pepper-crusted beef tenderloin, bay laurel potato pave, sautéed portobello mushrooms and Cabernet demi

Course 5:
Carrot cake “French toast,” house-made chai ice cream, lavender caramel and sugared almonds

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS

Peachtree Catering & Banquet Center

Chef Benjamin Hamrah

Benjamin Hamrah has grown up in the Columbia food service industry; as a youngster, he often wandered the kitchens and back rooms of his father’s restaurants. A graduate of Chicago’s Kendall College, he interned at the Michelin-starred Le Grand Ecuyer in southern France. Now executive chef at Peachtree, he likes to use seasonal, local ingredients in his menus. He says his style is simplistic, adding that he is “obsessed with the art of charcuterie.”

Hamrah and his father, Ali, have run a successful supper club for more than 2½ years, serving 5- to 9-course tasting menus with wine and beer pairings.

The Menu

“I will be serving five to six courses in a family-style service. We want to take all formality out of the dining experience. Dining, especially when paired with great wines, should feel less like a production and more like a family gathering.

“Each course will be served on large platters and roasting pans, reminiscent of the meals and gatherings we loved so much in our younger years. Guests will be seated with others they may not have ever met, but passing plates and sharing stories will give everyone the sense of being surrounded by family.

Meats and Cheeses

• A selection of local artisanal cheeses and cured meats from our local culinary program

Market Salad

• Organic baby greens, asparagus, French breakfast radish, bacon, egg, sorrel vinaigrette

Crispy Pork Belly

• Patchwork pork belly, Chinese broccoli, shitake, quinoa, ginger garlic reduction

Short Ribs

• Legacy beef short ribs, baby turnips, watercress, asparagus soufflé, Augusta Norton veal Demi

Bread Pudding

• Warm white chocolate and vanilla bean bread pudding, salted caramel, candied wild strawberries

Mom’s Cookies and Coffee

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS

Sycamore

Chef Mike Odette

Lifelong Midwesterner Mike Odette caught the cooking bug as a college student. He dropped out, abandoning his chemical engineering studies, to begin a chef career at Café Europa and Europa Bakery in 1988. He spent 17 years cooking in local restaurants such as Trattoria Strada Nova and Booches before opening Sycamore in 2005.

Sycamore honors the farmers, foragers and ranchers of Missouri with simple and seasonal rustic fare. Odette and co-owners Amy Barrett and Sanford and Jill Speake are champions for the market-driven “Missouri bistro-style” cuisine at the restaurant. In 2009, Odette was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Award in the “Best Chef: Midwest” category.

The Menu

Course 1:
Beef tenderloin carpaccio with arugula, capers, Parmigiano-Reggiano

Course 2:
Goat cheese agnolotti with porcini broth and white truffle oil

Course 3:
Farro salad with spring vegetables and micro greens

Course 4:
Slow-roasted pork shoulder and belly with wilted spring greens and crispy soft egg

Course 5:
Vanilla bean panna cotta with strawberries

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

• All tickets for the Wine & Food Festival will be e-mailed when you purchase. You must print your ticket and bring with you to the event for entrance.

• Must be 21 years of age to attend events.

• Times, events, details, prices and availabilities are subject to change without notice.

• All tickets and passports are non-refundable and sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets and passports are non-transferable and are expected to sell out quickly.

• Due to the complexity and volume of our Wine Dinners we are unable to accommodate changes to the menus for food allergies or for other special dietary requests.

• Please remember GRATUITY IS NOT INCLUDED in the Wine Dinner ticket price.

• NO REFUNDS on tickets after May 1, 2012.

Inside Columbia magazine’s Wine & Food Festival would not be possible without the support of these fine businesses and organizations.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the 2012 Wine & Food Festival, please contact Bill Bales at bill@insidecolumbia.net, or at 573-442-1430.

This year’s shopping event makes it easier than ever to enjoy great wines, delicious food and super deals! Park in Columbia’s Sixth and Cherry Street Garage and begin your exploration of 20 downtown shops and restaurants. Each of the 15 participating shops and five participating restaurants will offer exclusive discounts — some as high as 50 percent off one item — for Sip & Stroll passport holders. You’ll also have a chance to sample a red and a white wine at each location. Many locations will feature a festival chef who will present tapas and small plates for just $1. (Cash only, please.)

Sip & Stroll passport bearers are the only ones eligible for the fantastic discounts, wine samples and the $1 small plates. Purchase your $20 passport in advance and pick it up at the Inside Columbia office, 47 E. Broadway, the week prior to the event, at the Grand Tasting on Friday night, or at the Sixth and Cherry Street Garage any time after noon on Saturday. Volunteers will be manning the garage throughout the event to answer any questions you may have.

Doc & Norm Direct will be standing by at the Sixth and Cherry Street Garage to offer free sober chauffeur service.

This year’s Sip & Stroll vendors include:

Bluestem Missouri Crafts (40% of any wood cutting board or wooden utensil)

Breeze (40% off entire purchase)

Calhoun’s (Free wine-themed notepad and pencil; 20% off any one item)

Dryer’s Shoe Store (40% off one item in the store)

Elly’s Couture (40% off any one in-stock item and 15% off the remainder of your in-stock purchase with complimentary cocktails)

Frameworks Gifts & Interiors (50% off any fragrance for body, bath or home)

Gary B. Robinson Jewelers (50% off entire purchase — excludes loose diamonds and special orders)

Girl Boutique (40% off any one item)

Glik’s (40% off any one item)

Hoss’s Market & Rotisserie (40% off one Mizzou clothing item; 40% off all Stonewall kitchen products; 40% off all Hoss’s label nonperishable retail products)

Kent’s Floral Gallery & Gifts (40% off any one item; Mama Jones Creations Dips & Cheeseball mixes, buy 3 get 1 free)

KT Diamond Jewelers (50% off Roven Dino watches or 40% off any one item — excludes custom design, Verragio, Chad Allison, Bellarri, loose diamonds and Tissot watches)

Lizzi & Rocco’s Natural Pet Market (40% off one toy, treat or accessory, plus a free gift)

Makes Scents (40% off any one item)

McAdams’ Ltd. (50% off entire purchase — estate collection excluded)

S. Stewart Home (40% off metal flower wall sculptures; 40% off ceramic pears; complimentary food samples from Rabbit Creek and The Resident Chef Gourmet Mixes)

Songbird Station (Free copper hummingbird window feeder, retail value $12.99)

Swank Boutique (40% off any one item; 50% off sale merchandise)

Tallulah’s (50% off Wusthoff two-stage sharpener with cutting board)

Treats Unleashed (Free “Doggie Bag” full of treats for your pet, $12 value)

Saturday, May 19, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets: $20 Per Person*

Purchase Tickets Here

Thursday, May 17, 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: $75 Per Person*

*Tickets must be purchased in advance. Must be 21 to attend. Ticket price does not include gratuity.

Bleu Restaurant & Wine Bar

Chef Ben Parks

Columbia native Ben Parks began working in kitchens while attending Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Parks enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Upon completion of his culinary studies, he returned to his hometown and worked as sous chef in the now-defunct Trattoria Strada Nova. After several years of teaching culinary arts through the Columbia Area Career Center, Parks joined the staff of Bleu just after its opening in 2008. He is now executive chef and recently oversaw the restaurant’s move to its new location on Walnut Street, near the Boone County Courthouse.

The Menu

Course 1: Frisée & Sweet Gem Salad
Lamb bacon, strawberries, pine nuts and white wine basil vinaigrette

Course 2: Pork Fennel Ravioli
Handmade ravioli with ginger spinach puree and watermelon radish

Course 3: Paprika-Roasted Halibut
Gruyere grits, smoked tomato broth, parsley oil and green tomato roasted corn salsa

Course 4: Coffee-Braised Beef Short Rib
Charred scallion soubise, red wine gastrique and roasted balsamic-marinated beets

Course 5: Mint Lime Frozen Custard
Brûléed grapefruit and pistachio tuile

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS

Les Bourgeois Bistro

Chef Aaron Wells-Morgan

Columbia native Aaron Wells-Morgan began working in local restaurants when he was 15. While attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., he cooked in restaurants in Manhattan and Boston, and interned at the Grand Street Café in Kansas City. After graduation, he returned to the Kansas City area, working with PB&J restaurant group and then as executive chef of Café Provence.

A former sous chef at Columbia’s University Club, Wells-Morgan joined Les Bourgeois as executive chef in

2010.

The Menu

Amuse Bouche:
Lemon crème fraîche gelée with cucumber-sorrel sorbet and sturgeon caviar

Course 1:
Foie gras crème brûlée with Armagnac-poached prunes, candied hazelnuts, and brioche

Course 2:
Chicken-fried rabbit loin with cipollini onion, fresh fava beans, spring greens, and guanciale

Course 3: Intermezzo
Mascarpone glacé with vanilla rhubarb sauce

Course 4:
Roasted beef tenderloin with black truffle potato involtini, morel mushroom chestnut veal sauce and spring asparagus

Course 5:
Lemon-strawberry-white balsamic parfait with toasted meringue and marzipan crisps

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS

The Wine Cellar & Bistro

Chef Craig Cyr

Executive Chef Craig Cyr and his wife, Sommelier Sarah Cyr, began their Columbia culinary journey when they opened The Wine Cellar & Bistro in 2003. The couple’s goal was to highlight and support local farms in their seasonally inspired menu. Cyr is part of the Columbia “farm to table” restaurant movement and enjoys supplementing his bistro’s kitchen with produce from his own small organic farm.

Cyr earned his culinary degree from Johnson County Culinary Arts Program in Kansas City, and worked in two restaurants in Topeka, Kan., before moving to Columbia. He has been featured in National Culinary Review and City Room Gourmet. For seven of the last eight years, the restaurant’s wine list has received The Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine.

The Menu

Course 1:
Grilled pizza fritta with garlicky morels, early smoked tomato sauce, cheese curds and basil

Course 2:
Asian green salad with wild violets, napa cabbage, sunflower shoots, tatsoi, blueberry-ginger vinaigrette and roasted radish

Course 3:
Lemon thyme star anise-braised baby carrot potage, roasted fennel purée, minted sugar snap peas and pea tendrils

Course 4:
Grilled asparagus with preserved lemon-rosemary hollandaise, grilled onion, arugula and poached savory meringue

Course 5:
Patric Chocolate PBJ goat cheese cake with native pecan crust and goat milk caramel

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

• All tickets for the Wine & Food Festival will be e-mailed when you purchase. You must print your ticket and bring with you to the event for entrance.

• Must be 21 years of age to attend events.

• Times, events, details, prices and availabilities are subject to change without notice.

• All tickets and passports are non-refundable and sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets and passports are non-transferable and are expected to sell out quickly.

• Due to the complexity and volume of our Wine Dinners we are unable to accommodate changes to the menus for food allergies or for other special dietary requests.

• Please remember GRATUITY IS NOT INCLUDED in the Wine Dinner ticket price.

• NO REFUNDS on tickets after May 1, 2012.

This is the night Columbia’s wine lovers look forward to all year long. This year’s Grand Tasting showcases more than 400 wines. Stroll through the Holiday Inn Expo Center and sample the wines that intrigue you most. Previous festival participants have asked for more opportunities to visit one-on-one with winery representatives, and we’re delivering with a more intimate event that will enhance the knowledge of both the beginning wine drinker and the experienced oenophile.

Your ticket comes in the form of a passport. You’ll want to make the most of your Grand Tasting travels as you make your way to the booths of participating festival chefs to sample their exceptional culinary creations.

Grand Tasting attendees will enjoy live music throughout the evening and will take home a Riedel Degustazione wineglass as a keepsake. Doc & Norm Direct will be standing by to offer a safe ride home to any Grand Tasting guest.

Friday, May 18, 2011, 6 to 9 p.m.
Holiday Inn Expo Center

*Must be 21 to attend. Wine available while supplies last.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR

$55 (includes tax)

Sicilian-born Ignazio Munna, the new chef at Churchill’s, will share his culinary heritage through a spectacular seven-course meal, accompanied by a selection of Italian wines specially paired with the evening’s fare. Chef Munna will introduce each new course and winery representatives will share information about the six wines you’ll enjoy during the evening.

Your $125 ticket includes this magnificent meal plus free access to a safe ride home provided by Doc & Norm Direct.

Wednesday, May 16, 2011, 6:30 p.m.
The Picadilly Room of the Holiday Inn Executive Center
Tickets: $125*

The Menu

Amuse Bouche
Grape caprese salad with aged balsamic

Course 1: Veal Carpaccio
Thinly sliced veal with roasted peach, wilted arugula, aged balsamic and Parmigiano-Reggiano
Wine Pairing: Rocca delle Macie Morellino di Scansano

Course 2: Contemporary Caesar Salad
Romaine, ciabatta croutons, Parmigiano cookie, anchovies and homemade Caesar dressing
Wine Pairing: Rocca delle Macie Orvieto Classico

Course 3: Sweet Roasted-Tomato Bisque
Wine Pairing: Rocca delle Macie Sasyr

Course 4: Sorbet
Wild berry sorbet “Affogato” in Chambord liqueur and garnished with a fresh berry

Course 5: Tortellacci Emiliani
Large, veal-stuffed pasta in a black truffle oil cream sauce with pancetta, English peas and porcini mushrooms
Wine Pairing: Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico

Course 6: Tenderloin Siciliano
Center-cut beef filet lightly dusted, grilled to perfection and then finished with fontina cheese and brown velouté , served with broccolini and a Parmesan biscuit
Wine Pairing: Rocca delle Macie Ser Gioveto

Course 7: Dessert
Double-chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis and passion fruit

*Must be 21 to attend. Due to the complexity and volume of our dinners we are unable to accommodate changes to the menus for food allergies or for other special dietary requests.

If you are interested in purchasing a table of 8 for $900 or for more information, please contact Bill Bales at Bill@insidecolumbia.net.

Purchase Tickets Here

This year’s Wine & Art event puts a whole new spin on the wine bottle. Join us on Monday, May 14, at Inside Columbia’s beautiful, state-of-the-art Culinary Adventures Center at 47 E. Broadway. Guests will have the opportunity to sample from a variety of festival wines and enjoy appetizers prepared by our festival chefs.

The evening’s highlight is the live auction, where the bidding is sure to get fierce for artsy, one-of-a-kind wine bottles decorated by local celebrities. These painted, bejeweled and bedazzled masterpieces will add a fun, decorative touch to any home, and the proceeds from the evening will help support the important and empowering programs of Sol House, a Columbia-based emergency shelter and transitional living center for teens.

Preview works by some of this year’s participating artists here.

Monday, May 14, 2011, 5 to 7 p.m.
At Inside Columbia‘s Culinary Adventure Center, 47 E. Broadway
Tickets: $20 Per Person*

*Tickets must be purchased in advance. Must be 21 to attend.

Purchase Tickets Here