PHOTOS: Greenwich Wine + Food Festival Packs The Park!

By Leslie Yager

This year’s Wine + Food Festival in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park was the place to be this weekend. With a massive main tent for the Culinary Village and multiple medium sized tents for tastings and demonstrations throughout the day, it wouldn’t have mattered if it had rained, or been seasonably mild. But it was a perfect warm sunny day and the turnout was a far cry from years in the past.

It’s hard to believe that just a couple years ago the burger battle took place on two banquet tables in the field. This year, in what has become a much anticipated tradition, the burger competition was held on the main stage and Adam Richman was the perfect emcee.

Guests sampled dishes from local restaurants, as well as countless concoctions of cocktails, wines, beers and spirits. Some of the memorable items were the chipotle scallop bisque prepared by Ali Goss, the chef at Parallel Post Restaurant which is located in the Trumbull Marriott.

Between eating and drinking friends and neighbors mingled and shared their appraisals of the restaurant and vendors’ fare.

At the Culinary Village, Sat., Sept. 27 in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park, Patricia Troiano of the Greenwich Parks & Rec Dept and friends. Credit: Leslie Yager

Jeffrey and Cai Pandolfino sampling healthy food and juices at the Culinary Village at the Wine + Food Festival on Saturday. Credit: Leslie Yager

The owners of Green & Tonic, husband and wife duo Jeffrey and Cai Pandolfino, sampled the fresh-pressed organic juices they are known for. They also offer a healthy array of salads, wraps and soups in each of their three locations: Greenwich, Cos Cob and Darien.

Samples from Sonora, which offers modern Latin cuisine and catering from their restaurant at 179 Rectory Street in Port Chester. Credit: Leslie Yager

Marie Maguire of Napa & Co in Stamford chats with guests who sampled Eric Ribeiro’s cocktail. Credit: Leslie Yager

Best buds traveled from Fairfield to Greenwich for the Wine + Food Festival in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park. Credit: Leslie Yager

Marie Maguire traveled from Stamford’s

Sampling bruschetta from Greenwich’s newest restaurant, Little Pub. Credit: Leslie Yager

Greenwich’s newest restaurant, Little Pub which opened earlier this month at 531 East Putnam Ave in the old Fonda LaPaloma following a major renovation, was on hand to sample their delicious bruschetta. While the restaurant also offers a delicious variation with artichokes and capers, on Saturday, the Grabes sent over bruschetta featuring Granny Smith apples, Butternut Squash in a brown sugar cinnamon sauce with a rosemary and herb goat cheese spread with a balsamic glaze.

The Granola Bar, located in Playhouse Square in Westport, is also known for its big purple traveling food truck, chich offers catering and private parties.

Julie Levitt samples delicious granola from The Granola Bar. Credit: Leslie Yager

Enjoying herself after a week of molding young minds at Greenwich High School, Dorothy Sirbono whose photo won the Greenwich Free Press ticket contest, enjoyed samples from The Restaurant at Rowayton Seafood. Credit: Leslie Yager

Laura Downey who owns Fairfield Cheese Company plans to open Greenwich Cheese Company in Cos Cob in November. Credit: Leslie Yager

Laura Downey will arrive officially in Greenwich this fall, bringing her expertise on all things cheese to town after success in Fairfield. She’ll be taking over the space of the laundromat by Fjord Fisheries.

The folks from Old Greenwich Fine Wines sampling wines on Saturday at the Wine + Food Festival. Credit: Leslie Yager

Old Greenwich Fine Wines offers a complete selection of wine, spirits and beer and provides free delivery from their new location at 195 Sound Beach Ave in Old Greenwich.

Sampling American Harvest organic vodka drinks. Credit: Leslie Yager

Sampling The Big Apple: American Harvest organic vodka and fresh apple cider and the “PearFection” with pear juice and vanilla beans.

Nick Shields, founder and brewer at Boathouse Beverage sampled Spiked Seltzer with Tyler in the Culinary Village tend on Saturday. Their familiar mermaid logo graces the labels of varieties including Valencia Orange, West Indies Lime, and Indian River Grapefruit.

Lauren Peden, the chef at Simply Delicious Catering. Her motto is “We’ll do the work, you enjoy the party.” Credit: Leslie Yager

Delicious food from Lauren Peden of Simply Delicious catering. Credit: Leslie Yager

The folks from Fjord Fish Market. Credit: Leslie Yager

Samples from “Pinch,” which is located in Empire City Casino in Yonkers. Credit: Leslie Yager

Sampling Pure Leaf teas. Pure Leaf is part of Pepsico. Credit: Leslie Yager

The Wine + Food Festival benefited The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. Credit: Leslie Yager

Looking like a champion, the winner of the burger battle ’14 was Plan B Burger Bar of Stamford. Credit: Leslie Yager

After competing in the burger battle and winning the audience’s affection with his New Orleans accent and adorable son who told Adam Richman his favorite quality in a burger was “goodness,” Chef Johnson shared samples from his food truck. Credit: Leslie Yager

Chef Johnson and his son during the burger battle on the main stage at Wine + Food Festival on Saturday. Chef Johnson’s son told the emcee “We’re keeping the funk in food.” Credit: Leslie Yager

Ryan Fibiger of Saugatuck Craft Butchery in Westport demonstrated how to carve a pig, explaining the meaning of “living high on the hog” in the process. Credit: Leslie Yager

As the sun began to sink at the end of a beautiful afternoon the pizza makers of Fire Engine Pizza Company out of Black Rock did a brisk business from their truck. Credit: Leslie Yager