Welcome to the 13th annual Palm Desert Food and Wine presented by Agua Caliente Casinos, where the top culinary talent are brought together to create moments through memorable morsels. Every ticket sold helps support FIND Food Bank whose mission is to fight hunger in the community.

Palm Desert Food and Wine centers around two days of Grand Tastings at The Gardens of El Paseo, in Palm Desert, where chefs host cooking demos, and unlimited bites and sips can be enjoyed via restaurants, vintners, brewers, and distillers on hand. Ticketed brunches, dinners, and farm-to-table experiences like date farm visits with a slew of top chefs, sommeliers, and restaurant pros are available for anyone to attend.

We spent a Saturday in eating heaven, where earlier in the morning attendees were dazzled by a Curtis Stone cooking demo. We tried to make our rounds to almost every food vendor on this hot desert day, inside chilled tents and outside in a foodie courtyard.

Our favorite bites of the day came from Tia Carmen, a restaurant we have yet to visit that is located in the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells .They served Barbacoa on a shiso “leaf” taco topped with caviar. Our second favorite bite of the day was Tia Carmen’s halibut atop a banana slice with a coconut-like sauce.

The most unique drink we sipped was Matcha Made in Heaven, concocted with dates and Hendrick’s gin. Here is the recipe:

2 oz Hendricks Oasium Gin
1/2 oz lemon juice
1 oz California Date syrup
1/4 tsp matcha powder
Top with soda water
Garnish with a California Date 

We were excited to see Kleos Mastiha, as this Greek favorite spirit is not often showcased in California.

Other favorites we revisited from last year included Rumor rose and Austin Hope red wines.

Get your eating pants ready and prepare yourself for next year’s Palm Desert Food and Wine Festival, a 2-day culinary extravaganza where you can discover your own favorite tastes. Learn about last year’s date farm tours and date inspired luncheon.