Food

Food Festival

As the second half of our name would suggest, the Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival highlights some of the best food in the area.  Since it’s inception in 2001, our food festival has featured lots of unique gourmet specialty food vendors.  You can find everything from farm fresh cheeses, farm raised meats, salsas, BBQ sauce, pasta, pasta sauce, dip mixes, drink mixes, soup mixes, pastries, baked goods, maple syrup, candy, nuts, granola, olive oils and more. In addition, we host some of the region’s most unique Food Trucks & food concessions, we have fantastic Cooking Demonstrations that go on throughout the food festival weekend.

If you are a gourmet specialty food producer and are interested in becoming a vendor at our event, please visit the Become A Vendor Page

Cooking Demonstrations

Learn the culinary secrets of some of the region’s best Chefs.  In the past, our guests have included veterans from Hell’s Kitchen, Chef Wanted, Chopped, Iron Chef and other culinary television programs. We’ve also featured the Executive Chefs from the Hudson Valley’s best restaurants.  We offer cooking demonstrations all weekend and access to the demos is included in your Food Festival admission.

2018 Demonstrating Chefs

 

Chef Roshni Gurnani

A native of Canada, Roshni has always been interested and passionate about food. Since the tender age of 7 she wanted to be a chef and her career began at the age of 13. She started her path to become a chef at a local diner bussing tables and prepping vegetables. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of Canada, Roshni began her travels around the world to gain knowledge and experience in different cultures and foods. She has cooked in 5 star hotels, Country Clubs, restaurants, colleges and private homes is Asia, UK, Canada and the US. Today Roshni is a highly innovated and passionate chef with over 15 years of industry experience. She has a unique fusion style of cooking, blending different cultures together. Her hard work and dedication has brought her to where she is today.

In 2009 Roshni was awarded Chopped Champion on the hit Food Network show Chopped. In 2009 she was also the first Chef in Boston to introduce healthy restaurant style quality food into college campuses and was featured in the Boston Globe Newspaper. This triggered the healthy food scene throughout colleges in Massachusetts. Roshni’s wide travels and vast knowledge and hunger for the culinary world has awarded her as being one of the top 5 Indian chefs in USA by India Currents magazine, in 2011. In 2011 Roshni was also invited to be the featured chef for Masala, Mendhi, Masti in Toronto Canada, North America’s largest South Asian festival. In 2012 Roshni was a contestant on the very popular FOX TV show Hell’s Kitchen with Michelin Star chef Gordon Ramsey. Over her vast travels, Roshni found her self in Las Vegas in 2016, where is was awarded Top Chef Las Vegas. In 2017 she competed in Food Networks top show Cut Throat Kitchen. When she isn’t traveling the world, Roshni is a Culinary Professor at the Art Institute of America in Houston Texas. She is also a chef consultant and private chef. She feels that “there is never an end to flavors and food. Food is a journey not a destination”.

Chef Vincent Tropepe

We’re thrilled to welcome back our good friend Chef Vincent Tropepe. Chef Vincent Tropepe is a Brooklyn, NY native. His deep Italian roots, as well as his grandmother’s, have inspired him to become a chef. Vincent Tropepe has worked in every avenue of the food business. From prep cook to a dishwasher, line cook, sous chef as well as an executive chef in some of the country’s top restaurants. He has also had his work featured in numerous newspapers, magazine, online magazines, and blogs. Vincent is also a published cookbook author with his first release titled, “From Behind the Kitchen Doors”. He will be releasing his latest book “In My Whites” this year.

Because of Vincent’s in-depth knowledge of the workings of the restaurant business, and his 13 different culinary certifications and 7 managerial and business certifications, Edible Magazine dubbed Vincent the “American born Gordon Ramsey.” Chef Vincent will be offering demonstrations both days of the Fest as well as signing his new book.

Chef Dana Johnson has been Relishing food since 2000.

For the last 12 years, she has owned and operated restaurants in both Greene and Columbia Counties.  You might know her from Mod Gourmet Cafe or Relish in Hudson. She’s won Hudson Valley Magazine’s Best of the Hudson Valley for Best Restaurant Columbia County.  Just this past year she decided that 17 years locked in a kitchen was enough. Chef Dana has created her own line of spice blends and now spends her time catering special events, consulting and offering cooking classes. She also volunteers as a chef every third Monday for her local Salvation Army.

Join Chef Dana each day of the fest to see what she’s cooking up for you to relish and pick up some of her gourmet spice blends to enhance your own gourmet delights!