Traverse City Tourism is preparing to launch a new festival intended to show off the region’s agricultural and culinary industries – and potentially fill a late-summer hole left by the departure of the Traverse City Film Festival. Traverse City Food and Wine is planned to take place August 21-23, featuring “carefully curated tasting experiences” throughout the region and an anchor Saturday event in the Open Space with “nationally and regionally recognized chefs,” cooking demonstrations, food tastings, and wine and craft beverage samples.

According to a permit application submitted to the City of Traverse City, the festival is intended to “showcase local farms, wineries, and culinary businesses.” Traverse City Tourism hopes to “increase awareness on a regional and national level of the local agriculture and culinary scenes and spotlight the local talent through culinary and educational experiences,” the organization wrote. In the days leading up to the main event on August 23 – called the Grand Tasting – “local restaurants, wineries, attractions, and farms will host experiences that highlight the connection between the region’s agricultural resources and its vibrant culinary scene,” the application states.

The Grand Tasting – planned for noon to 4pm Saturday in the Open Space – will feature numerous local businesses, craft beverage samples, “small bites of locally sourced food, and non-alcoholic options to maintain focus on the quality of products our region produces,” according to the application. Chef demonstrations in a demonstration kitchen, live music, book sales, vendor displays, and headlining culinary talent are all mentioned as possibilities. On-site bike parking from Norte and additional BATA service runs on the Bayline will be offered as transportation options for the festival. “The footprint of the event will be a similar scale to the Up North Pride event in September,” the application states.

Traverse City Tourism is requesting use of the Open Space and parking lot RB from Tuesday, August 19 through Sunday, August 24, with setup planned August 19-20 and teardown August 24. “We are recruiting cookbook authors and culinary personalities to be part of this event and have held the Open Space for potential events on Thursday, August 21, and Friday, August 22, to allow us to feature that talent,” the application states. “Possible formats could include a National Writers Series-style discussion, cooking demonstrations, or an outdoor communal meal catered in the space. Any other additional event will take place during the day or early evening and will conclude by 8pm.”

Anne Stanton of the National Writers Series confirms her organization is in talks with Traverse City Tourism about a partnership event during Traverse City Food and Wine but says no details have been finalized. “The tentative plan is that Doug (Stanton) would do an interview with a famous chef, but it’s still in the planning stages,” she says. More festival details are expected to be unveiled at a May 12 press conference officially launching the event, according to Trevor Tkach of Traverse City Tourism. The permit application lists an expected 500-2,000 attendees per day.

Tkach says that Michigan has “long been undervalued and underrated for its diverse agriculture and epicurean talent,” but that Traverse City is increasingly on the map – from its farms and wineries to its James Beard-nominated restaurants (think Trattoria Stella and The Cooks’ House) to high-profile chefs moving to the area. He hopes Traverse City Food and Wine can help promote those assets to a wider audience, with the goal of evolving into a year-round brand that offers programming during other months beyond the summer festival.

That could prove crucial to increasing regional buy-in and participation, since August can be a hectic time of year for many restaurants, wineries, and farms. Amanda Danielson of Trattoria Stella points out that the week of Traverse City Food and Wine is already a busy one: Her nonprofit Intentional Agriculture will partner with MSU AgBioResearch and Extension August 21-22 to host Dirt to Glass, an industry conference for wine growers and producers now in its fourth year. That event and packed summer bookings at Trattoria Stella mean Danielson can’t commit her restaurant resources or staff to the new festival, she says. However, different events can appeal to different demographics – Danielson has been working tirelessly behind the scenes from an industry-facing perspective to promote Michigan wines and woo influential buyers to Traverse City – so “anything that brings people who want to explore our region, especially when it comes to food and wine, is a great thing,” she says.

Tkach acknowledges Traverse City Tourism received pushback from some local businesses on the August dates. “Staffing is tight, and some places are going to be busy, so I don’t anticipate everyone can participate at the same level,” he says. “But I’m optimistic we’ll still be putting attention on the fact that we’re doing great things here.” There are also several reasons why August was chosen: In addition to Traverse City being in peak natural beauty and having more flight options available, the departure of the Traverse City Film Festival – historically a late July-early August event – and a mid-month slump as families return home to prepare for the start of the school year has left an opening, Tkach says.

“August has lost a little bit of energy, and we think this will be a national draw and can help with air service, mid-week occupancy, and keeping the hotels and short-term rentals running at as high of a capacity as we can through the peak season,” he says. “We’re trying to make the most of the summer months as we can.” Traverse City Tourism also has the resources and runway to commit to the event long-term, Tkach says – in contrast to past organizers with short-lived culinary events who were dependent on immediate financial returns to continue. “Our objective isn’t necessarily to make money,” Tkach says. “I don't want to lose a ton of money, but it's an investment for us. The branding is really the goal.”

Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Executive Director Harry Burkholder says his organization has been involved in discussions about the new festival. “Anytime we can celebrate the culinary arts in our community is fantastic,” he says. “The fact it’s in the downtown area is a boon. It’s timed so that people can go to the event and then go out downtown and eat at our restaurants.” More details are likely to come on potential partnership events, Burkholder says, whether involving downtown businesses or spaces like the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market.

City Clerk Benjamin Marentette says the Traverse City Food and Wine application will soon head to the Parks and Recreation Commission for review. That board will make a recommendation to Marentette’s office for consideration. The event permit is then reviewed and approved administratively by his office, Marentette says.