Here it comes, ready or not—the fifth annual Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience, bringing more than 4,000 chefs, sommeliers and discriminating connoisseurs to our borough. The reasons for the “Experience” are laudable, to celebrate local agriculture, acclaimed chefs and world-renowned wines. Its official dates are May 14 through 17, but its impact and influence can last far longer.
Some locals formerly found its high-end tastings, farm-to-table culinary demonstrations and special appearances (Guy Fieri again?) a bit too upscale for the Healdsburg that people live in. But over time, this yearly springtime celebration of what makes wine country great has won them over. Steve Dveris, the creator of the “Experience” (which we will use for a shorthand name), successfully argued that if such a festival belongs anywhere, it’s Healdsburg.
During his years with Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure magazines, Dveris developed events in luxe places such as Aspen, Pebble Beach, New York and Los Angeles (Disneyland).
“I just came from another food festival in Pebble Beach. I go to a lot of the different food festivals,” he told the Tribune. “I talk to the chefs when I’m there, and I talk to the wineries that are there, and they’re all great, they’re all in beautiful locations, they all have great food, and they all have great chefs.”
He took a step back and said, “So what’s the difference between ours and every one of the other ones? What keeps coming up is that it’s not an event where just people are drinking and shoving food into their mouths because it’s great. We have a real connection to the land that they don’t have. Healdsburg has this agricultural history that’s real and palpable, and you can feel it when you’re here.”
Like the vineyards out the window of the new Appellation Healdsburg, where for the first time the Experience will hold its welcome celebration on May 14. Or the open-air venue at Rodney Strong, where trellises surround the grassy area for the May 15 concert with teen guitar slinger Grace Bowers. Or the many wine and food pairing events all weekend, under the legendary guidance of local chefs like Charlie Palmer, Tracey Shepos, Duskie Estes, Dustin Valette and Stephanie Izard.
Not all of the events are esoteric and expensive, a conscious decision by Dveris. “One of the things that we’re really proud about is our opening price for residents has never changed for Healdsburg residents,” he noted.
That’s $195 for the five-hour Grand Tasting, “which is the equivalent of going to the French Laundry for dinner, and we have more wine and more food than you’ll get there,” said Dveris. The non-locals price is $275 this year; however, the challenging affair remains in the city parking lot on Matheson behind Hotel Healdsburg, for this year at least.
Dveris signed a three-year contract with the City of Healdsburg in 2023, which means this is the last year under those terms. “Now I have to go to the City and pitch it again,” he said. Even so, he’s not sure about moving the signature event to the Pavilion: The Farmers Market has that space locked up on Saturdays, and the Pavilion’s footprint is smaller than what the parking lot provided.
Another bargain for locals is the Friday concert at Rodney Strong, which has a $95 general admission but is only $80 for Healdsburg residents.
Though locals are recognized, the Experience is one of the only, if not the only, event that regularly sells out the hotels in town, leaving no bed without a head.
That doesn’t mean the celebrities have moved on: Jean-Charles Boisset will show off his new tequila, Casa Obsidiana; Iron Chef and Top Chef contestant Stephanie Izard has a “lens-shifting” brunch at J Vineyards; another Food Network competitor, Britt Rescigno, oversees a sit-down dinner at MacMurray Estate.
“We try to curate events that enliven all of your senses. So we have music, we have great food, we have great wine and spirits, so we’re trying to touch on all fronts,” said Dveris.
“And then we do it in beautiful settings in Sonoma County, with incredible wineries and hotels and restaurants. So it kind of brings everything together,” he concluded.
Sounds like it’s worth a long weekend in Healdsburg—for visitors, or those of us privileged enough to live here.
For schedule and tickets, visit https://www.healdsburgwineandfood.com/events.
See healdsburgwineandfood.com/events for available tickets.
