Music To Your Mouth Is the South's Coolest Luxury Food Weekend

Advertisements

Set on 20,000 acres of pristine southern ground, Palmetto Bluff is a small piece of heaven. Inhabited since the time of the Native Americans, this particular stretch of South Carolina marshland, located between Savannah and Hilton Head is home to a newly-renovated Montage hotel, numerous residences, and one of the south’s coolest food events, the aptly-named Music to Your Mouth.

We at Pursuitist had the pleasure of attending the 10th annual festival, an event that began with a field luncheon that looked straight out of an Instagram masterpiece, meandered through a decadent afternoon cocktail tasting, rolled into an evening in the field strung with fairy lights and food stations, and ended with a private surprise concert by Blues Traveler.

The annual event, held the weekend before Thanksgiving each year, hosts dozens of top chefs from across the East Coast, including names like Sean Brock, Mike Lata, Justin Devillier and Jeremiah Langhorne, as well as vintners and spirits experts from across the nation.

More than 1,000 well-heeled guests indulged in food tastings, chef’s demos, oyster roasts, and live music, all set to benefit Second Helpings, a local organization that saves food that would have been discarded by grocery stores and restaurants and redistributes it to over 60 agencies serving those in need in the Lowcountry.

We’ve been to many festivals throughout the years,  including highbrow events in Aspen, Pebble Beach, and Atlanta, but rarely have we seen an event so full of genuine excitement.

Here are a few of our favorite snaps from the weekend.

Sponsored Links:

Staffers prepare for the first evening’s “Sommelier Smackdown.”

Jay Walea, head of the Palmetto Bluff Conservancy, explains the area’s history to guests on their way to the Out Here in the Field Lunch.

The Out Here in the Field lunch featured lamb from Border Springs.

Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina
(November 18, 2016)
the ulterior epicure | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Bonjwing Photography

Sponsored Links:

Chefs Sean Brock and Mike Lata prepare for the annual “Stink & Drink” event.

The Grace, a Palmetto Bluff boat, takes guests out for the annual “Stink and Drink” event.

Tiffanie Barriere serves up a basil julep during a cocktail class.

Author McLean Robbins holds a cocktail.

Guests enjoy food and drink at the annual Southern Supper.

S’mores are a nightly tradition at Palmetto Bluff.

The Culinary Festival is the flagship event of Music to Your Mouth. 

The Kiss the Pig Oyster Roast is a favorite evening event.

We loved the setup of the Kiss the Pig Oyster Roast.

Sponsored Links:

John Popper of Blues Traveler plays a surprise concert for guests. Each year, the festival culminates in a surprise musical event.

All photos courtesy of Bonjwing Photography.