The San Diego fall festival named best in the nation for the past two years is gearing up to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
The downtown-based San Diego Food + Wine Festival takes place November 2-10. It’s highlighted by a Grand Tasting event held on the gorgeous Embarcadero Marina Park North, right beside San Diego Bay.
Spanning two decades, the SDFWF has garnered impressive national accolades. It was named “Best Wine Festival” in 2022 & ‘23 in the 2024 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest.
Dubbed “San Diego’s Best Annual Event” by The San Diego Sun, the festival has received kudos from the Travel Channel, Wine Enthusiast and Forbes, and was also honored earlier this year as the “Festival of the Year” by FestForums. A national conference series, FestForums rates events like Coachella, SXSW, Burning Man, Lollapalooza and more.
The SDFWF is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the country. More than 800 wines, beers and spirts will be poured during the week.
The participating chef list goes on and on: Alice Waters, Elizabeth Faulkner, Mawa McQueen, Travis Swikard, Drew Deckman, Gale Gand, Tara Monsod, Art Smith, Michael Cimarusti, Carlos Layton, Carmen Gutierrez, Ray Isle, Claudia Sandoval, David Alarcon, David Sim, Hetal Vasavada, Jonathan Bautista, Jiranan Tanvilai Mo, Josh Orr, Lulu Martinez Ojeda, Marcelo Hisaki, Martin San Roman, James Trees, Miguel Angel Guerrero, Oliver Seki, Monti Carlo, Oscar Torres, Ruffo Ibarra, Roberto Alcocer, Suzette Gresham and 2024 James Beard Award winners Maynard Llera and Matt Vawter.
The Sun recently chatted with SDFWF co-producer Michelle Metter about the festival turning 20, what’s new and what returning to the itinerary, and whether or not she gets to enjoy the food and wine as the parties swirl around her. (Event and ticket information.)
(Note: This Q&A has been lightly edited for length and clarity.)
SDSun: Why did you change the name this year from San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival to San Diego Food + Wine Festival?
Michelle Metter: When we initially launched 20 years ago, we felt being on the bay was symbolic for San Diego. It’s an iconic location. As the festival has matured and grown, we encompassed the entire county. We have events that happen all throughout San Diego (and Mexico). It’s now about the whole city as a destination.
Sun: Is downtown still an important factor in the festival’s identity?
MM: There is nowhere else as beautiful as being at our Grand Tasting on the Embarcadero. You’re right on the water. You have sailboats going by. There is no better backdrop for an event like this than being on the Embarcadero, and it’s what I think makes it so quintessential and picturesque. That is definitely still a continued point of pride for us. It’s absolutely stunning.
Sun: How does turning 20 feel?
MM: Exciting! When you’ve been doing something for a really long time, keeping it fresh and innovative and being a leader in this space, you need to be fired up about it. We’re passionate about it. And after 20 years, the festival experience we’ve created is growing up and is truly exceptional. We’ve been part of the narrative of shaping San Diego as a culinary destination. We’re an entertainment piece that’s mission-led and value-driven, and in line with what our chefs and our culinary community care about.
Sun: What’s the biggest change in the festival from two decades ago?
MM: Lots of changes. We’re more than just a wine-and-food festival. We’re a convergence event of food, film, music, wine and spirits and advocacy. This is a place for the greatest thought leaders from throughout the country to come together to talk about the Good Food Movement, about hospitality, about sustainability and our environment and agriculture and all of these things that shape the way that we eat and dine. That’s in the forefront of the pillars of importance for us.
Sun: How much money have you awarded in scholarships over the years?
MM: $600,000 to restaurant workers.
Sun: Any surprises in store for the big Saturday Grand Tasting on the Embarcadero?
MM: The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance is coming back with a massive pavilion. Brandt Beef is coming back with their experience. “Cohn-Chella” by the Cohn Restaurant Group is coming back. They always have some surprises and delights in their area. Our VIP Area continues to be a French-inspired experience curated by Jack Ford from Taj Farms. Everything people know and love about the festival is returning. There’s so much. It’s more than you can get through in a single day.
Sun: Talk about the expansion of the Latin-themed Sunday Grand Fiesta.
MM: Our numbers for that doubled last year (1,000 to 2,000 attendees) and we’re on pace to double it again this year. That event space at Liberty Station has the capacity for us to grow. There’s still a taco competition, but it goes way beyond that. We have a demo stage where we’re doing cooking demonstrations and education on tequila and Mezcal. The VIP is hosted by Team Mexico. More than 50 Mexican chefs will be joining us for the week.
Sun: Can you summarize some of the events on other days of the festival?
MM: We’re kicking off the week with an organization called the Food Tank, where we are bringing together some of the largest global thought leaders. Chefs like Alice Waters and Elizabeth Falkner are joining panels. Also, the woman who started unionizing Starbucks is joining us. We have the head of Feeding San Diego. The head of Kitchens for Good. We’ve got local advocacy organizations, nonprofit leaders, civic leaders, for-profit CEOs, celebrity chefs, authors, journalists. And much more. KPBS is our broadcast partner on Food Tank. We’ll film several hours of these conversations and KPBS will air them down the road…For our 20th Anniversary Bash, Sazarac is taking over the rooftop at the Andaz San Diego hotel. That party will be hosted by several bars on the Worlds Best Bars list.
Sun: What’s the collaboration with the Coronado Island Film Festival?
MM: We created a partnership and they have a whole track on culinary cinema. We have directors and chefs featured in the films who will join us after screenings. And, we’re screening a film called Fish and Men, which is about fishing globally and sustainability. There are some more great films and experiences, too.
Sun: There isn’t room to include everything about this year’s festival, but do talk about the James Beard Foundation.
MM: We have a new partnership this year with the James Beard Foundation. As we lead into the grand weekend (November 8-10), we have several James Beard Award-winning chefs who are joining us. And we’ll have a benefit for the James Beard Foundation and a lot of their programs.
Sun: Lastly, Michelle, I wonder if you get to enjoy this event while it’s going on.
MM: This is going to sound so canned, but my joy comes from taking a minute and watching other people have a good time. I don’t think I could ever turn off the part of me that is trying to make sure our chefs, winemakers and attendees have what they need. My joy comes from hearing people go, “Oh my God, did you taste that? That was so good.” Or, “Oh, you got to get over here and try this wine.” And, my joy comes when I get to finally sit down afterward and look at it and be proud of what we’ve done for so long. SDSun
