The State of Wine and Food Festivals in a Covid World

In the Before Times, some friends and I took the train up to Hudson, NY, for a long weekend in the mountains. Decked out in our finest Brooklyn Does Upstate autumnal attire, we kicked off the trip at a food festival and chili cook-off. In order to enter the festival, attendees were required to “buy a spoon” for around $25.  The absurdly expensive utensil was not only our ticket in, but would also be the singular spoon each of us used to taste all of the chili throughout the day. The memory of dipping my personal scoop into dozens of vats — alongside hundreds of other festival goers — sends a Covid-era chill down my spine. Every type of event and experience was hit by the pandemic, but wine and food festivals were not only canceled, they were biohazards that couldn’t be recreated virtually. While we cooked at home, ordered takeout and even had chefs make and plate gourmet dinners in our driveways (thanks, Wonder!), eating and drinking with others seemed like it would never happen again. Yet, a little creativity and a lot of patience made the return of wine and food festivals possible. Today, the format has expanded...