10 Of The Best Kept Secrets About Taste Of Atlanta

25 September 2019

There’s no doubt that Taste of Atlanta gives attendees the best and most affordable way to taste sips and bites from some of the top restaurants around Atlanta, but there is so much more to this “eat, drink and do” event! Keep reading to be in the know on the 10 best kept secrets about Taste of Atlanta!

Hands-on Cooking Classes

In addition to tasting food, attendees have a chance to create their own culinary masterpieces in our hands-on cooking classes at the Kitchen Workshop. Taught by talented, local chefs, these classes are open to all ticket holders – just arrive to class early to save your spot! Between “Natural, Delicious & Healthy” that shows guests how to prepare healthy meals to “Dinner at Home with Garnish & Gather” that teaches attendees how to make dishes using the Garnish & Gather meal kit, there is something for every type of chef.

Cooking Competitions

Check out the best of the best during several different cooking competitions throughout the weekend. Watch the competition heat up between Atlanta’s top executives in the CEO Cooking Competition on Saturday. On Saturday and Sunday, culinary students from both Riverwood High School and Miller Grove High School will battle it out in their respective Chefs of Tomorrow Cooking Competitions. Also on Saturday is our Burger Brawl with Budweiser. Who do you think will win the best burger this year?

Best Bartender Competition

Atlanta’s most talented bartenders will face off in our Best Bartender Competition sponsored by Bulleit Bourbon, and the finalists will join local chefs in a stage demo during the weekend festivities! The bartenders will demonstrate their skills through mastery of a spirit, timely submissions, presentation skills, media & collaboration skills, and volume batching. The Best Bartender Champion will be crowned on Sunday of festival weekend.

Professional Chef Demonstrations

Get a behind the scenes look at how your favorite chefs make their creations come to life at The Chef’s Table! Attendees can enjoy learning about cooking fall recipes from Brezza Cucina, and see how some of the top sous chefs in the city prepare dishes. Stop by the Burger Brawl with Budweiser to watch chefs battle for the title of ‘Best Burger’ in Atlanta.

Saturday Night Concert

For the first time ever, we are hosting a special Saturday evening concert featuring the one and only Yacht Rock Revue! The famed seven-man band will be crooning classic hits and Halloween tunes for an evening to remember at Historic Fourth Ward Park on Saturday, October 19 beginning at 7pm.

Guests may bring their own chairs and blankets to enjoy tunes on the lawn. Local food trucks including Che Butter Jonez, The Mad Greek, South of Philly and more will be selling bites for purchase and beer, wine and cocktails will be available at several on-site bars. So whether you’re a big fan of Yacht Rock Revue or just want to keep the party going, be sure to purchase tickets to our Saturday night event!

Opening Night Party Collaboration with the Georgia Grown program

Each year we kick off festival weekend with our Opening Night Party! Held on Friday, October 18, this all-inclusive event includes food, wine, beer and cocktail tastings. So we can guarantee you don’t want to miss it!

This year it is hosted by Nick Leahy, Chef owner of AIX and Tin Tin, but what you might not know is that the evening is dedicated to supporting the Georgia Grown program and all the good work they do to promote the state’s agricultural resources to support local farmers and makers! A portion of Friday night’s proceeds will go directly to supporting the Georgia Grown Restaurant Partnership Program. 

Entertainment for the evening will be live music from Moontower!

Food Districts

This year’s festival will feature four themed food districts. Enjoy a diverse array of dishes in the Buford Highway district. Watch your favorite football games during the weekend while trying some classic gameday tastes at the Tailgating district. At the Hartsfield-Jackson Lounge district, guests can try bites from restaurants located in one of the largest airports. Offering some of the best brunch items Atlanta has to offer, the Brunch All Day district will be going on all weekend for guests to enjoy some delicious dishes.

Georgia Grown Pavilion

Promoting locally-grown ingredients, the Georgia Grown Pavilion will have programs that feature demonstrations, teachings and tastings of some of the best products Georgia Grown has to offer. Guests can enjoy events involving goat cheese, shiitake mushrooms, local apples, honey, pecans and more.

The VIP Tasting Experience

Upgrade your Taste of Atlanta experience with VIP access. VIP attendees are able to enjoy bites from exclusive restaurants and drinks made by Atlanta’s best bartenders. VIP ticket holders must be 21+.

Taste Points and the Giving Kitchen

As a cashless festival, Taste of Atlanta go-ers can use Taste Points that can be loaded onto their wristbands to try all the different food and drink during the weekend. Attendees will receive an email recap of each taste they ate during Taste of Atlanta so that they can remember to return to their favorite restaurants!

Best of all, Taste Points that are not used can be donated to the Giving Kitchen or returned in a refund. The Giving Kitchen is an organization that provides support to food service workers, and one that we love to support!