Then judged by a panel of experts before the winner is decided. Additional contests ensue throughout the weekend, with the ever-popular Friday evening mixology competition and the Saturday Junior Chef Competition.
The festivities actually kick off on Thursday evening with the Ultimate Top Chef Dinner beginning at 6 pm at Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites, the event headquarters. This incredible multicourse dinner is prepared by all-star team composed of several of the amazingly talented Top Chef winners from years past, and each course is expertly paired with a local wine or ale. This exclusive, limited-seating dinner costs less than $100 per person, or tickets can be purchased as part of a four-day festival VIP package—but snag tickets as soon as they go on sale, as this popular gala event sells out quickly.
Culinary Festival – Top USA Festivals Photo Gallery
Throughout the weekend, festival attendees can sample many different food specialties from regional restaurants, food artisans, and farms and sample wines and beers from some of the area’s many wineries and breweries. Meanwhile, chefs and food specialists teach a variety of topics in limited-space hands-on workshops, with the intriguing lineup announced well ahead of the festival. Most workshops are limited to about two dozen participants to ensure a personal learning experience. Attendees must register for workshops when they buy festival tickets in advance (no seminar registration at the festival itself). Festival seminars are held at a variety of locations throughout Ashland.
Ashland Culinary Festival offers a variety of tickets and ticket packages: the VIP package includes the Top Chef Dinner as well as Friday’s Culinary Kickoff, the Junior Chef Competition, Saturday and Sunday Chef Competitions and vendor sampling, one workshop per day (must preregister), and a commemorative wine glass and tasting punch card. The Three-Day Premier Package is identical but does not include the Top Chef Dinner.
A variety of one-day and two-day ticket packages are also available, as are single-event tickets. For full details and to Fresh produce awaits the celebrity purchase tickets, which go on sale in chefs who compete at the Ashland September, visit the festival website. Culinary Festival.
