The Tampa Bay Wine and Food Festival will take place annually in the spring to celebrate the culinary talents of the incredible chefs and gastronomic masters in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and its surrounding areas. The five-day destination event will feature a variety of experiences that will bring together national wine and spirits producers and brands curated to highlight and celebrate the remarkable culinary abilities throughout the Tampa Bay area. The event will support and benefit local charitable initiatives in the Tampa Bay area with Community Initiatives Foundation's EAT SMART campaign, whose mission is to support the health and wellness of our youth in the festival destination.

CI Management, the team behind some of South Florida's leading wine and food festivals and experiences, are ready to celebrate the best of the Tampa Bay area bringing together national brands to assist in highlighting the incredible culinary arts in Tampa and its surrounding areas for a weekend of events and celebrations, in support of community initiatives that engage the future leaders of the area

Schedule of Events:

10:00 am: Breaking Bread with Heroes

Friday, April 11 - 10AM - 12PM INVITE ONLY. In partnership with the Robert Irvine Foundation, as part of celebrity Chef Robert Irvine's participation in the Tampa Bay Wine and Food Festival, Friday morning will see an all new invite only event added to the line up, featuring the Breaking Bread with Heroes breakfast, hosted by Celebrity Chef, Chef Robert Irvine, along with hosting sponsor, Publix, with special guest, celebrity Chef Geoffrey Zakarian. This event will host 200 veterans to an incredible breakfast to honor and gather our nation's heroes over a delicious meal as they sit down for an opportunity to talk, listen, and share their stories.

6:00 pm: Chef Showdown

Get ready to celebrate Tampa Bay's top chefs and gear up for an evening of competitive culinary cook-offs where attendees will serve as the judges as they indulge in endless dishes and refreshing cocktails and dance the night away. 16 chefs will battle head-to-head in eight unique showdowns. Each will host their own "battle pavilion" , where guests will visit each battle, sample, and vote on their favorite of the two. Throughout the night, chefs from each battle will take the Publix Culinary Showdown Kitchen stage to put on a show in their live demos as representatives from the culinary industry, including media, will serve as final judges to award the best in each showdown. Tampa Bay's CHEF SHOWDOWN, presented by GOYA Foods and driven by BMW, will be hosted on the festival grounds, which will be at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. Choose your champ, Friday, April 11 at 6:30PM at Tampa Bay's CHEF SHOWDOWN!