Correction: This article has been updated to clarify that Yvette Bonanno runs Bonanno’s Fine Catering with her father, not husband, and to correct a typo on her name on second reference. 225 regrets the errors.
Taste over 250 wines and sample offerings from 30-plus local chefs and caterers while only taking a few steps around L’Auberge Casino Hotel. Chefs and wine distributors across the Capital Region are ramping up to show off their best offerings and creations this Friday, Aug. 23, at the 17th annual Fête Rouge, a fundraising event for the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society.
The food and wine tasting competition invites attendees to grab a glass and meander through L’Auberge’s Event Center to find culinary samplings from restaurants like Jubans, BLDG 5, Solera and more.
To wash it all down, sip on award-winning wine options. Fête Rouge usually draws a crowd of about 800-900 attendees and raises around $50,000 for the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society.
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“All of the money that we raise stays in Baton Rouge for children with food insecurities, the food bank, children who have nutritional needs of junior diabetes or child obesity, and scholarship funds for youth who are entering into the food and hospitality industry,” says Yvette Bonanno, president of the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society.
It all begins a few hours before the event starts with a private wine tasting. Judges consisting of wine buyers, sommeliers, media professionals and others taste different pours before ranking their favorites. The top wines are given medals, which are then put on display for attendees to find at the event.
Doors to Fête Rouge officially open at 7 p.m., but Bonanno says attendees can make their way upstairs to enjoy a bar outside the entrance starting at 6 p.m. Inside, restaurants and caterers are set up with dishes. Each culinary participant will have a sampling that fits into a category for judging: Louisiana flavor, meat, seafood and desserts.
Like the wines, the food offerings are also judged before the event. At 8 p.m. the gold, silver and bronze will be announced for each category along with a best in show award. Plates are judged based on creativity, originality, taste and presentation. Winners are given medals along with cash prizes.
“Being a local area chef myself, I always want to see what we can give back to the chefs because it motivates them to bring their best,” says Bonanno, who also runs Bonanno’s Fine Catering with her father, Gary, and is the SpokesChef for Louisiana Crawfish Promotion & Research Board. “I really want to do my best to elevate the culinary scene here in Baton Rouge. I really want these chefs to know how much Epicurean wants to support our local area chefs, because who doesn’t want to have the best restaurants here in Baton Rouge?”
In addition to eating and drinking, there will also be a photo booth and live music from DJ Chris “Bird” Culotta to turn Fête Rouge into a true party. Attendees can also participate in a wine pull game, where they pay $25 and pull a numbered cork that corresponds to a bottle of wine they get to take home. Bonanno says the wines come from last year’s Fête du Vin event, the Epicurean Society’s board members, and local wine distributors and retailers.
“There are some very, very nice and rare wines,” Bonanno says about the wine pull selection. “There are also some allocated wines that you would not be able to find (anywhere else).”
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This year’s Fête Rouge will also celebrate Luci and Wayne Stabiler who received the Epicurean Society’s Grace “Mama” Marino Lifetime Achievement Award who previously owned local restaurants like Stab’s Prime Steak and Seafood, The Little Village, Sammy’s Bar and Grill and others. Last year the couple donated full ownership of five of their local restaurants to members of the management team.
Fête Rouge will also honor the late Abigail Hamilton, who served as the Epicurean Society’s executive director for years. To honor Hamilton, the Epicurean Society will donate $12,000 to the Red Stick Farmers Market to sponsor its Red Stick Sprouts program, which allows children to connect with farmers and receive free tokens to shop for healthy choices at the markets. (Editor’s note: Hamilton also planned many events for 225’s parent company, Melara Enterprises.)
Tickets for Fête Rouge are on sale now, but act fast, as they usually sell out. Fête Rouge will take place this Friday, Aug. 23, from 7-10 p.m. at L’Auberge Casino Hotel. L’Auberge is at 777 L’Aubege Ave. For more information about the event and the Baton Rouge Epicurean Society, check out the organization’s website.