10 Commandments To Remember When Attending NYC Wine and Food Festival

As this was my first New York City Wine & Food Festival, I went into this sorta green. I have attended SOBE before but this was in the Big Apple, home of all things Food Network. Now that I’m slowly marinating on all that took place, here are a few helpful hints for those planning on attending NYCWFF next year…

1. Forget the cute stiletto-esque boots and be reasonable – wear flats. See, I wore these 4″ fab military boots that I wear often around Philly- they are super comfy (at least to me) and I’ve worn them for 12+ hours straight with no problems… until now. Zipping around New York City from one event to another in those boots, by mid-day it felt like I was walking on searing hot coals as I slowly navigated through Chelsea market. Even those stupid insoles that Stacey London endorses only escalated the situation. Note to self: Wear flats and Foot Petals – your feet will thank you by the end of the day. At day end Sunday, my Tory Burch flats looked fab and not one person asked me “Where are the stilettos?” which was a nice change.

2. Nothing at this event is right next to each other. It is not SOBE so be prepared to walk briskly or cab it to the event. Case in point – I had to zip from one panel by 9th Ave to Giada’s demo around 5th Ave., back to the spot where I had the original panel and I had only a few minutes to get from one to the other. In one day, I went everywhere from the meatpacking district to 5th Avenue to the Pier and back again. Fun times. However, if you drive, park your car in one spot and be prepared to zip around like stated above.

3. When attending the Grand Tasting, much like a mall during the holiday season, there really is not a set traffic pattern. You will get agitated, it will be toasty and, internally, you will be chanting Ludacris’ song “Move – Get Out The Way” while going through the tent. Be polite yet assertive and, for the love of god, keep the baggage to a minimum.

4. I swear, some of the vendor volunteers could have worked the Las Vegas Strip when it comes to distributing literature. Your bag WILL get heavy so keep only a few things with you – your camera, your wallet, lip gloss, mints, cards and keys. Wait until the end of the day to pick up the free magazines from Food & Wine and Travel & Leisure – they are heavier than they appear.

5. Bring your appetite when attending the Grand Tasting. However, you must be careful when it comes to mixing various beverages. You could try anything from the latest craft beer to tequila to absinthe and, as everyone I am sure knows, mixing a ton of different adult beverages on an empty stomach might lead to some pretty ugly consequences.

6. Do not be picky. Try everything (well, that you aren’t allergic to of course). You might find that there is something you really like or a flavor combination that might have you experimenting when you go home to your own kitchen.

7. Book signings mean long lines. Do NOT whine and moan because there are 300 people ahead of you to meet Rachel Ray or Giada de Laurentiis. Suck it up and deal and use that time to leaf through your copy of the cookbook and talk to your fellow line-cohorts.

8. When arriving at a demo, you might also see long lines. And, for the love of god, do NOT aggravate the Door Biatche (affectionately termed as I was one for many events). If she tells you to stand straight or to move over, DO IT! They often work for the venue and they are there to move things along expeditiously. There is a reason why they are tough and, quite frankly, if you see half of what they see on the day to day, you would have the same attitude. Also, when going into the venue, sit where told, don’t whine for a better seat and those venues are intimate enough where you can see everything pretty daggone well and they have screens too. Don’t try to sit in the reserved spots or be covert about it. Everyone needs to play nice.

9. Realize that there is no need to burst into a blood-curdling scream when you see Food Network talent milling about. They not only have their own events, but support each other at their demos, panels, etc. Case in point – when I entered Chelsea Market, my eardrums were subject to the shriek of a woman losing her mind over Robert Irvine and, of course, he handled it with such grace and he got her to calm down. Listen, I know people can get excited but trust me when I say that from my experience, the people on the Food Network are sweet and receptive when approached – RESPECTFULLY. So, when you see someone such as Robert or Sunny Anderson or even the festival organizer extraordinaire, Lee Schrager, be nice (and, of course, if they are talking to someone, please don’t interrupt or shove your face in front of them mid conversation and go “OMG I DONT BELIEVE IT – Are you so and so?!”). Treat them how you would like to be treated.

10. The most important piece of advice I can give – HAVE FUN. Lee Schrager throws top notch events and he wants you to make the most of your experience. Audience interaction is huge – to quote Giada de Laurentiis, she never gets to interact with her fans when filming and these events give her the opportunity to get to know them.

So with that being said, who is up for going to SOBE in February! Let’s start the countdown!