The West Alabama Food and Wine Festival is making its return after a two year hiatus. The event features local restaurants showcasing their menus to raise money for the West Alabama Food Bank. This year marks the eighth festival since the COVID-19 pandemic caused it to take two years off.
Debbie Sanford is the board chair for the festival. She said the goal is to raise money and highlight local restaurants.
“It highlights the local restaurants and we hope to bring people out for people to taste and experience those restaurants that they might not otherwise visit," she said. "Ultimately our goal is to raise money for our beneficiary the West Alabama Food Bank.”
Tickets for the festival are $50 and VIP admission are $75.
Sanford said the tickets offer the same experience, but the difference is a matter of intimacy and isolation.
“The difference in that is you have that same experience all the food all the wine all the tastings but there’s also a tented space of 30 by 60 where there’s a little bit more of an intimate setting," she said. "You also have a separate wine pouring station where you’re not sort of waiting in line with everyone else at the festival.”
The festival starts tonight at 5:30 at the Tuscaloosa River Market.