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The Eat Drink RI Festival Grand Tasting features samplings of over sixty locally produced beer, wine & spirits, as well as an abundance of local food artisans in Hall A of the Rhode Island Convention Center. During the Tasting there will be all-new local food & drink presentations on the Frigidaire Professional Presentation Stage sponsored and provided by Wickford Appliance featuring Rhode Island’s top chefs paired with a local producer to wow attendees with some of the best food in the country, all included with admission to the Grand Tasting.
- Nicks on Broadway‘s Chef Derek Wagner and Eating with the Ecosystem‘s Kate Masury
- Federal Hill Pizza‘s Chef Billy Manzo and Lee Ann Freitas
- Easy Entertaining‘s Chef Ashley Vanasse and Blackbird Farm‘s Ann Marie Bouthillette
New to this year’s Festival Grand Tasting, Eat Drink RI is partnering with the Point Street Reading Series for a trio of food-author readings & signings.
- Christine Chitnis, local Rhode Island writer and photographer and author of multiple cookbooks, most recently Icy, Creamy, Healthy, Sweet: 75 Recipes for Dairy-Free Ice Cream, Fruit-Forward Ice Pops, Frozen Yogurt, Granitas, Slushies, Shakes, and More
- David Leite, founder of the James Beard Award-winning website Leite’s Culinaria, and author of the forthcoming Notes on a Banana: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Manic Depression
- Evan Mallett, chef/owner of Portsmouth, New Hampshire’s Black Trumpet and Stock + Spice, and author of Black Trumpet: A Chef’s Journey Through Eight New England Seasons
For the full list of Grand Tasting tables and participants, please see the Exhibitors page (continually updated).
Grand Tasting tickets are $75 and includes all food and beverage samplings offered, Local Food & Drink Presentations and author readings & signings.
On Saturday morning, prior to the Eat Drink RI Festival Grand Tasting, the Point Street Reading Series is hosting an intimate book & breakfast in celebration of David Leite’s brand new memoir Notes on a Banana: A Memoir of Food, Love, and Manic Depression from 10 – 11:30 a.m. at The Café at Easy Entertaining. The $45 ticket includes an autographed copy of Notes on a Banana and a delicious breakfast. Purchase tickets here.
