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Last night, Shane and I got to be part of an incredible day and night working at the SAVOR! event in downtown. Usually I don’t mix work with my blog, however I can’t help but tell you all the wonderful things this event has to offer! Did I mention unlimited food and drinks?
SAVOR!
SAVOR! is Rochester Regional Health’s annual food and drink event that kicks off the XEROX Jazz Festival. The money raised from this event benefit the Women’s Health, Pediatric Services, and the Sands-Constellation Center for Critical Care.
It’s a gourmet food, wine, and craft brew experience that everyone must try! Each year they have a renowned chef do a cooking demonstration on stage. This chef also gets to choose the top 3 vendors of the event. This year they chose Dominique Crenn as the celebrity chef.
Dominique Crenn made her second appearance at this event. We all loved her so much we wanted her back! She joined us last year as the chef of the event and was chosen again to do this years’. Her cooking demonstration was great, if not better than last year! She is so interactive with the guests which certainly makes it for an unforgettable experience.
People and vendors from all over New York came to participate in this annual foodie experience and to see Dominique, 1300 people to be exact! Each year, this event is sold out long before the event date – so it’s best to stay in the loop to grab your tickets early. There are many packages to get the best deal when buying tickets such as employee discounts and combo packs. VIP tickets are $200 each and includes exclusive access to the VIP tent (AC and great seating) as well as valet parking for some. General tickets are $60 each and include access to the main tent and outdoor seating areas. When you figure how much free food and unlimited drinks you can have, this event is a great price!
During my breaks in between setting up and running registration, Shane and I spent most of our time in the VIP area. It was a more quiet area to sit and enjoy the beautiful night outside. The VIP tent was air conditioned and offered a meat and cheese bar as well as fruit in a beautiful display. The bar inside the VIP tent offered free full size drinks – unlike the small tastings you could only get in the main tent.
However, we hopped over to the main tent a couple times to try some samplings. The main tent was beautiful and the layout this year made the tent seem more open. Even though there were crowds of people, you weren’t overwhelmed and bumping into one another. Some samples that stuck out to me was Cheesy Eddie’s Carrot Cake, Joseph Floreano Riverside Convention Center’s Cappuccino Cheesecake Bites, Kimchi Cornbread, Nick Tahou’s Mini Garbage Plate, and so much more! I must admit though, my favorite from the night was Glenora Winery’s Watermelon Wine. I loved it so much, I bought a bottle at the end of the night!
More vendors included:
Restaurants
Antonetta’s
F. Olivers
Farmers Creekside Tavern and Inn
Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center
Rochester Regional Health Food & Nutrition
Taste of Rochester
Trader Joe’s
TRATA – The Restaurant at the Amory
Warfield’s Restaurant, Lounge & Bakery
Wineries
A Gust of Sun Winery & Vineyard
Lakeland Winery
Craft Beverages
As the event came to a close, we watched the sunset hover over the downtown skyline and eventually took a Lyft back home. Today, my feet are killing me and my head is aching, yet I can’t wait to do it again next year.
Til next time!
This sounds amazing and like so much fun! What a wonderful idea for a date 🙂 thanks for sharing!
You have me wondering where I can find watermelon wine near me. That sounds ridiculously tasty! 🙂
Seriously, though, this looks like a really neat event. Great post 🙂
Not sure where you live, but Glenora Winery sells this wine at some liquor stores. Maybe if you’re lucky it will be at yours!
This looks such a great experience! I hope I could get to experience this with my husband as well.
What a fun experience! I loved getting to taste a wide variety of foods when visiting NYC back in 2015!
Kendra | http://www.helga-marie.com
This sounds so fun! I should definitely see if there is something like this near me!
Awesome food, jazz festival, celebrity chef! This sounds amazing! So glad you got to experience it. Thanks for sharing ♡
Watermelon Wine – sign me up! I am definitely going to be looking for that. I love hearing about all of your Date Adventures 🙂
Never heard of this organisation before! Lucky you…. I would love nothing more than food! & being able to sample some tasty treats all while being paid? – score!!
Dee | http://www.thrifdeedubai.com