JXN Food & Wine Festival Draws Sold-Out Crowd to Celebrate Jackson's Culinary Scene
March 17, 2025
The second annual JXN Food & Wine Festival brought together food enthusiasts and renowned chefs for a sold-out celebration of Mississippi's capital city culinary talent on March 15. Due to inclement weather, the festival moved indoors to the Jackson Convention Complex, where attendees enjoyed an afternoon of tastings, cooking demonstrations, and live music showcasing Jackson's diverse food scene.
The festival featured an impressive lineup of local and regional culinary talent, led by Jackson's celebrity Chef Nick Wallace alongside Bravo's Top Chefs Jackson Kalb, Gabriel Pascuzzi, and Michelle Wallace. More than a dozen Jackson restaurants participated, offering attendees a taste of the city's culinary diversity.
"The sold-out crowd and enthusiastic response to this year's festival demonstrates the growing recognition of Jackson as a culinary destination," said Nick Wallace, Chef Chair of the festival. "Despite the weather challenges, moving indoors to the Convention Complex allowed us to create an intimate atmosphere that brought our community together to celebrate what makes Jackson's food scene so special."
Local participating chefs included Hunter Evans of Elvie's and Mayflower, Chaz Lindsay of Pulito Osteria, Eddie Wright of Eddie Wright BBQ, Grant Hutcheson of Pig & Pint, Geno Lee of Big Apple Inn, Damien Cavicchi of Hal & Mal's, Brian Myrick of Johnny T's, Joseph Sambou of Sambou's African Kitchen, Alex Eaton of Aplos, and representatives from La Brioche and Spark Confectionary. Regional chefs Ty Thames from Starkville, Jon Davis from Oxford, and Marc Bynum from Birmingham also joined the celebration.
"The festival continues to grow as a signature event for our city, drawing food lovers from across the region to experience Jackson's vibrant culinary community," said Jonathan Pettus, Visit Jackson's Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer. "We're grateful to The Local Palate for partnering with us to shine a spotlight on our talented chefs and the unique flavors that define our city."
The JXN Food & Wine Festival is presented by The Local Palate in partnership with Visit Jackson, the official destination marketing organization for the City of Jackson.