Much as gladiators, professional athletes, and the like celebrate the onset of competition with a grand feast the night before, local chefs and businesses came together on Monday, June 3 at Christian Petroni’s Fortina in Yonkers to raise their glasses and toast the competition.
While we head into Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival looking forward to bloody battles at Burger & Beer Blast and the Bartender Shake-off at Taste & Style, this one evening even bitter rivals were the best of friends. Sponsors like Harrison Wine Vault as well as Heineken and Blue Moon supplied libations, while Petroni’s team rolled out a massive table of antipasto and other delectable treats throughout the night.
Petroni, X2O’s Chef Peter Kelly, and Today Media’s Hudson Valley Group Publisher Mike Martinelli all spoke fondly of the event’s past and the collective gratitude felt by everyone present to the participants, sponsors, and charitable organizations like Feeding Westchester and the Westchester Parks Foundation which benefit from the festival. An announcement on our recent acquisition of The Valley Table and Hudson Valley Restaurant Week was met with much excitement.
Check out some of our favorite pics from the evening below, and make sure to grab your last-minute tickets now for all of this week’s incredible #WMwineandfood events!