About the Festival

The mission of the Charleston Food + Wine Festival, a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is to enhance Charleston's culinary reputation and support important charitable endeavors by focusing national attention on the entertainment, education and gastronomical gratification opportunities presented by world class culinary professionals and wine experts.

The Charleston Food + Wine Festival's Vision

  • Charity:

    • to raise significant funds for charities and scholarships.

  • Education:

    • for the general consumer, to elevate the skills and culinary knowledge and for culinary students, to promote culinary traditions and to offer one-on-one networking and skill building opportunities

  • Sustainability:

    • to sustain itself as an organization and to assist in sustaining the chef and restaurant community in the area

  • Recognition:

    • to bring national and regional attention to the food scene in Charleston

Specifically for the Charitable Initiatives, the Festival will do the following:

  • Direct Donations:

    • MUSC Children’s Hospital with a focus on diabetes and lifestyle prevention
    • Scholarships at the Culinary Institute of Charleston, College of Charleston and the Art Institute of Charleston
    • Funds through Amuse Bouche for the Lowcountry Food Bank’s Kids Café program
    • Food donation from Festival events to Crisis Ministries

  • Educational Efforts:

    • Better develop a mentor program completely managed by the Festival for any culinary student to be involved in and benefit from
    • Offer non-paid internships for college students to assist with the planning of the Festival
    • Offer the Culinary Legends Award to students (high school and college) and recognize at Festival.

  • Recognition and Promotions:

    • Promote culinary-related organizations at the Culinary Village and in various seminars and events throughout the weekend
Donate now! Our signature charity for 2009 is the MUSC Children's Hospital. We are proud to partner with them for our "Fill the Glass" campaign. With your ticket purchases, donations at events throughout the year and during the Festival weekend, auctions and through our automatic donate now button we hope to raise at least fifty thousand dollars. Won't you help us fill our glass for charity?

  • MUSC Children's Hospital http://www.musckids.com

    As South Carolina's premiere pediatric academic medical center and the region's only pediatric hospital, the Children's Hospital at MUSC is dedicated to discovering better ways to care for the whole child and providing compassionate, child and family-centered services in an environment that fosters innovation, collaboration and excellence.

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  • The Art Institute of Charleston http://www.artinstitutes.edu/charleston

    Founded in 2007, The Art Institute of Charleston is a branch campus of The Art Institute of Atlanta, which has a tradition of preparing students for careers by providing a challenging educational environment that responds to changing technologies and the needs of the marketplace. The Art Institute of Charleston is building on this proud tradition of commitment to students and to providing the creative and technical skills demanded by today’s employers.

  • The College of Charleston http://www.cofc.edu/

    The College of Charleston is a nationally recognized, public liberal arts and sciences university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770, the College is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability. The College offers a distinctive combination of a beautiful and historic campus, modern facilities and cutting-edge programs.

  • Crisis Ministries http://www.charelstonhomeless.org

    Crisis Ministries provides food, shelter and hope to end homelessness and hunger one person at a time, one family at a time.

  • The Culinary Institute of Charleston http://www.tridenttech.edu/culinary_institute_of_charleston.htm

    The Culinary Institute of Charleston provides a wide array of both credit and continuing education offerings to meet the diverse training needs of the tourism industry. The Institute's credit programs include TTC's existing associate degree, diploma and certificate programs in culinary arts, hospitality and tourism, as well as other advanced certification opportunities.

  • Lowcountry Food Bank http://www.lowcountryfoodbank.org

    Our mission is to feed the poor and hungry of the ten coastal counties of South Carolina by soliciting and distributing healthy food and grocery products to nonprofit agencies serving the poor, and to educate the public about the problems of and solutions to domestic hunger. The Lowcountry Food Bank was founded in 1983 as a clearinghouse for donated food items through the generosity of both Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina and Trident United Way.