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Writer's pictureSteven Keith

Wine & Jazz Festival ups its food and drink game

There’s always been nice wine and jazz. But the Fund for the Arts Wine & Jazz Music Festival is upping its game when it comes to food and drinks at this year’s event on Saturday, June 17, on the University of Charleston’s riverfront lawn.

Fried plantains, greens and rice from Karubees Jamaican Restaurant
Fried plantains, greens and rice from Karubees Jamaican Restaurant










The daylong celebration will not only feature an all-star lineup of live music from 3-10 p.m., but 12 (and counting!) different food trucks and vendors will also be serving up tasty eats to enjoy with those tunes.


Curry chicken and BBQ shrimp from Karubees
Curry chicken and BBQ shrimp from Karubees

Confirmed food participants so far include Big Marv’s Café, Black Sheep Burrito, Bridge Road Bistro, Dem 2 Brothers and a Grill, Gil’s Pit Beef, Just Drinks, Karubees Jamaican Restaurant, Pepperoni Grill, Phat Daddy’s on Da Tracks, ScragglePop Kettlecorn, Scooby’s Icy Treats and Wild Graze Charcuterie.


This is a dream for me, y’all. I’ve been craving some Karubees something fierce and have been dying to try Phat Daddy’s as well. Now I can do both in the same place while enjoying great music and beautiful views.


In addition to a large selection of wine from West Virginia vineyards, Mountain State craft breweries Big Timber, Black Sheep, Clendenin Brewing and Parkersburg Brewing will be serving a wide range of beers and hard seltzers. National brand beers, spiked lemonade, ciders, soft drinks and water also will be sold.


Catfish platter from Phat Daddy's on Da Tracks
Catfish platter from Phat Daddy's on Da Tracks

This year’s entertainment features Hot Jazz of Charleston from 3-3:50 p.m., Holly Forbes from 4:10-5 p.m., Bob Thompson from 5:20-6:40 p.m., The Commonheart from 7-8:10 p.m. and Moon Hooch from 8:30-10 p.m.


Tickets to the event are $45 and include admission, all entertainment and free wine samples. (Additional drinks and bottles may be purchased separately.)


Tickets will be available at the gate the day of the event, in advance at The Wine Shop at Capitol Market or online until 9 p.m. on June 16 at https://bit.ly/419CCmE. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.


Chopped Chicken Sandwich from Phat Daddy's
Chopped Chicken Sandwich from Phat Daddy's

Although there won’t be a riverboat taxi offering rides to and from the event from Haddad Riverfront Park, free KRT shuttles will be available to and from UC and downtown Charleston. Downtown pickup will be beside Chase Bank on Summers Street and UC pickup will be in front of the Geary Student Union. The shuttle will run a loop from 2:30-7 p.m. and from UC to downtown from 9:45-11 p.m.


Co-presented by longtime sponsor Spilman, Thomas & Battle, the Wine & Jazz Music Festival is Fund for the Arts’ largest fund-raiser of the year. Proceeds from the event help fund 11 local arts organizations throughout the area. To learn more about the organization, visit www.fundfortheartswv.org.


Lefty’s Place opens inside Short Story in Charleston


Lefty’s Place opened its new location inside Short Story Brewing in downtown Charleston this past Saturday, offering an abbreviated menu of favorites from the original restaurant in Morgantown.


Jerk wings from Karubees
Jerk wings from Karubees

Now you can enjoy a craft beer at Short Story on Summers Street while nibbling on appetizers like garlic knots, pepperoni balls and cheesy breadsticks, or a garden, gorgonzola or pepperoni salad. There’s also a trio of calzones and six different Detroit-style pizzas, or you can build your own pie from a selection of more than 15 different toppings.

Apps and salads range from $8-12, with calzones and pizzas running $13-15.


Short Story Brewing at 186 Summers St. in Charleston is open from 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and from noon-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday. For more information, call 681-265-0685, visit www.ShortStoryBrewing.com or check out the brewery’s Facebook page.



Honey butter wings from Phat Daddy's on Da Tracks
Honey butter wings from Phat Daddy's on Da Tracks


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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.

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