Expect mouthwatering food, delicious drinks, great company, celebrity, and local chefs during this year’s Charlotte StrEATs Festival.

The annual event, hosted by Unpretentious Palate and Carben Events, immerses you in the Queen City’s culinary scene. “Our main goal is for everybody to get a taste of Charlotte and the different neighborhoods that are represented,” says Casey Wilson, owner of Carben Events.

New this year is the StrEATs Uncorked event, highlighting North Carolina’s wineries. The event took place at Johnson & Wales on Wednesday, April 3, allowing chefs to pair food with wine from the Charlotte region.

Charlotte StrEATs Festival Neighborhood Cook-Off in 2023. | Photo via Ryan Allen

If you weren’t able to attend, don’t worry. The Tasting Tour returns to StrEATs on Saturday, April 13. From 12 to 3:00 p.m., ticketed guests can walk through Gateway Village, sampling menu and cocktail items from city restaurants. “If you are a foodie, and a cocktail or just beverage enthusiast, Saturday is your day,” says Wilson.

If you happen to attend during the VIP tasting tour at 11 a.m., you may see this year’s special celebrity guest, Chef Aarón Sánchez, also sampling what our restaurants have to offer. Pro tip: the tasting tour sells out so buy your tickets ASAP.

Chef Aaron Sanchez is expected to emcee the Neighborhood Cook-Off contest and attend the VIP Tasting Tour. Previous years' celebrity chefs and guests include Amanda Freitag and Alex Guarnaschelli.
| Photo provided by Charlotte StrEATs Festival

On Sunday, April 14, entry to the festival is free and features the main event: a neighborhood cook-off + artisan market featuring local products like baked goods, juice, honey, and cheese. Sánchez will emcee the cook-off with that same Food Network flare. Editor’s note: the neighborhood cook-offs are fun to watch and, halfway through the schedule, Chef Aarón will also do a cooking demo.

In addition to the neighborhood cook-offs and tasting tour, expect to see a variety of food trucks:

“We have six different food trucks that'll be out there on Sunday. It's rare that you see these particular six in one spot, so we're excited to show them off,” says Wilson.

The StrEATs festival ends at 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 14. Come hungry, leave happy.