The third annual Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival wrapped up a five-day run that drew more than 10,000 attendees and raised funds for two charitable causes supporting youth nutrition and veterans.
The festival featured more than 60 participating restaurants and multiple culinary competitions. Proceeds benefited the CI Foundation’s EAT SMART initiative and the Robert Irvine Foundation.
Chef Jason Ruhe of Brick & Mortar Kitchen took home the inaugural “Best Bite of the Night” award, presented by BMW, the official auto partner of the festival, and a $2,000 prize during the popular Chef Showdown event, which brought 16 chefs head-to-head in themed cooking battles, at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.
Additional Chef Showdown winners included:
Fried Chicken: Chef Joe Dodd, King of the Coop (3x champion)
Surf ‘n’ Turf: Chef Jason Ruhe, Brick & Mortar Kitchen
Truffle: Chef Matthew Zappoli, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa (3x champion)
Burger: Chef Jay Narvaez, Cru Cellars (2x champion)
Taco: Chef Christopher Yadid Garcia, Tacos Las Californias (3x champion)
Smokehouse: Chef Cameron Capri, Q Southern BBQ
Seafood: Chef David Reyes, St. Petersburg Distillery
Pasta: Chef Anthony Santos, Private Chef
The festival’s closing Grand Tasting drew thousands to a waterfront tasting village featuring over 45 restaurants. Guests voted The Liberty Smokehouse as the winner of the “Best of the Fest” award, presented by First Horizon.
The 2026 festival is planned for April 7-11.