3 days of food, wine, beer — plus family friendly fun — at Puyallup’s Culinary Classic
Puyallup’s second stab at a food and drink festival happens this weekend with three days of local chefs, brewers, winemakers and other makers showcasing their talents and the creativity of South Sound food businesses.
Called the Culinary Classic, the event is the beginning of what the Puyallup-Sumner Chamber of Commerce hopes to develop into a sought-after ticket in coming years.
CEO Tara Doyle-Enneking was inspired by Cornucopia Whistler, a month-long celebration with seminars, tastings and restaurant dinners in British Columbia. Similar food festivals have cropped up in cities across the U.S. and around the world alongside the growing pursuit of culinary tourism. Though the debut Culinary Classic ended up being entirely virtual, it entailed a Restaurant Week of sorts that will likely be part of future renditions.
“Our goal is to establish a regional food, wine and craft beer festival in the South Sound,” said Doyle-Enneking. “The Puyallup valley’s agricultural history and hops heritage make it the perfect place for such an event, and our partnerships with The Washington State Fair and City of Puyallup are helping bring the festival to life.”
This year, the ticketed events will run Nov. 5-7 at two locations. For pandemic health and safety reasons, capacity will be limited to 50 percent, and guests and staff will be expected to wear masks when not actively eating or drinking. According to the safety page, vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative test is recommended but not required.
Day 1 kicks off Friday night with the Winemakers’ Ball at Pioneer Park Pavilion. This event leans toward a formal gala, said Lori Waltier, chamber vice president of communications and culture.
Guests are encouraged to dress up, starting the evening with music from the Northwest Sinfonietta, hors d’oeuvres and wine from Washington producers including Lomcevak Cellars out of Lake Chelan and Woodinville’s Browne Family Vineyards, which opened a Tacoma tasting room in late 2020. Former Puyallup High School football star turned winemaker Damon Huard will offer a keynote presentation about his Passing Time Winery during dinner, catered by Al Lago Restaurant at Lake Tapps, and then The Alex Britton Band will take the stage.
On Saturday, area breweries including Half Lion, Off Camber, Odd Otter, Narrows and Wet Coast will set up at the Fairgrounds’ Showplex for Brewallup, a beer festival mixed with a craft market. Downtown Puyallup beer bar CaskCades helped curate the beverages while the organizers behind Puyallup Night Market gathered a crowd of vendors for some pre-holiday shopping.
Both the dinner and the beer festival are 21+.
Sunday welcomes families back to Pioneer Park Pavilion to enjoy various local food businesses (Komadre Kombucha, for instance), food trucks (Uncle Mike’s Filipino Comfort Food and Fat Zach’s Pizza among them) and chef demos. Featured speaker Jan Parker of Jan Parker Cookery will demo her seasonal Filipino food at 2 p.m. Other chef demos will include Hudson Slater, who led the kitchen at Tacoma’s Asado for several years.
A sectioned off, adults-only area will have a cash bar with wine, beer and cider. There will also be interactive activities for kids, such as dipping caramel apples, mixing granola and decorating cupcakes.
“Culinary Classic weekend brings three distinct events offering something for everyone,” said Doyle-Enneking, “and we hope to grow it more each year.”
CULINARY CLASSIC PUYALLUP
▪ Nov. 5-7, culinaryclassicwa.com; tickets via Eventbrite and available at the door
▪ Winemakers’ Ball: Nov. 5, 5-10 p.m. at Pioneer Park Pavilion — all-inclusive $150 ticket
▪ Brewallup: Nov. 6, noon to 5 p.m. at Fairgrounds ShowPlex — $30 admission includes eight tasting pours; pay-by-pour for full pints
▪ Foodies & Families Culinary Expo: Nov. 7, noon to 5 p.m. at Pioneer Park Pavilion — admission $15 adults, $5 for kids ages 5-16 (free for under-5)
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 10:00 AM.