JXN Food & Wine Festival 2024

The Local Palate, in partnership with the City With Soul and Visit Mississippi and sponsoring partners, will welcome the inaugural JXN Food and Wine Festival to downtown Jackson on March 2, 2024. The event will be held at the Mississippi Museum of Art and will feature a stellar line-up of local and national award-winning chefs, including Jackson’s own – the festival’s Chef Chair and Season 34 Chopped winner - Nick Wallace, who will welcome co-host and Jackson-born Iron Chef Cat Cora.

Additional chefs confirmed to participate include:  

Top Chef Houston Contestants:
Damarr Brown
Ashleigh Shanti
Buddha Lo (a two-time season winner)

Jackson Chefs:
Fabien Biraud (Estelle) 
Hunter Evans (Elvie’s)
Grant Hutcheson (The Pig & Pint)
Geno Lee (Big Apple Inn)
Chaz Lindsay (Pulito Osteria) 
Joseph Sambou (Sambou’s African Kitchen)
Enrika Williams (Fauna Foodworks)  
Eddie Wright (Eddie Wright BBQ) 
Damien Cavicchi (Hal & Mal's)
Pierre Pryer, Sr. (Iron Horse Grill)
Cristina Lazzari (La Brioche Patisserie and Spark Confectionary)
LaMarcus Robinson (Oops All Vegan!)

Mississippi Chefs 
Vishwesh Bhatt (Snackbar, Oxford)  
Cooper Miller (Forklift, Tupelo) 
Austin Sumrall (White Pillars, Biloxi) 
Michael Carr (Barbecue Sunshine, Ridgeland)

National Chefs
Ming Pu (Brooklyn and the Butcher, Outcast Fish & Oyster Bar, and The Exchange Pub and Kitchen, Louisville, KY) 
Lawrence Weeks (North of Bourbon, Louisville, KY) 
Jordan and Amarys Herndon (Palm & Pine, New Orleans, LA) 

All ticket holders will enjoy tastings from over 20 local and regional chefs, samples of wine, beer, spirits, and nonalcoholic offerings, a demo stage with Top Chefs, and live music.

Doors open for general admission at 6:30 PM. VIP ticket holders are invited to arrive at 6 PM for early access, including an exclusive VIP area with hors d’oeuvers and a complimentary bar, dedicated restrooms, and a celebrity chef meet and greet.  

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Mississippi Restaurant Association Education Foundation. This initiative supports aspiring students pursuing higher education in restaurant management and culinary arts. 

Visit jxnfoodandwine.com for more details.