Food has a remarkable way of uniting individuals and fostering a sense of community and connection. For over two decades, foodies have flocked to the Suncoast Food and Wine Fest to enjoy culinary delights and curated wine pairings. While this annual event brings people together in the moment, its effects can be felt throughout the community for far longer than a single day. Organized by the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch, the Suncoast Food and Wine Fest has always been about being able to give back.

“Rotary is a service organization, so the genesis of the Suncoast Food and Wine Fest was a way to raise money that we could then give back to local charities that may not be able to raise the funds themselves,” says Steve Kelle, a longtime Rotary Club member and the chairperson for the organization’s Food and Wine Fest Committee. “Over the 21-year span that we’ve been doing this event, we’ve raised and given away over $2 million to local charities. And the charities are always local. These are people in our community that really do help make our area better, and that’s why it’s awesome.”

Charities can apply on the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch website to receive grants funded by the Suncoast Food and Wine Fest. Past recipients have included All Faiths Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity and Southeastern Guide Dogs among many others. 

“Once we share what we are and who we’re doing it for, the community really has become great partners in it with us,” Kelle says. “So it is a Rotary event, but it’s not just a Rotary event. We’ve developed relationships with our sponsors over the years. We’ve developed relationships with restaurants over the years.” While the Suncoast Food and Wine Fest has been held at a few different locations over the years, it currently makes its home at the Premier Sports Campus of Lakewood Ranch. In fact, the Rotary Club has been so happy with the venue, they just signed an agreement to continue hosting the event there for the next five years. This year’s festival will feature food from 48 area restaurants while also serving up samples of hundreds of varieties of wine. In addition to delectable dishes from local hotspots like Bijou Garden Cafe, Cafe L’Europe and Remy’s on Main, this year’s festival will feature live music from Kettle of Fish. There will also be cooking demos by Chris Covelli of Sage Restaurant and Angelo DiFiore of Sofia’s Restaurant. 

“Seeing how these chefs think about food and prepare the food is really cool. We’re actually going to expand our seating for those two demonstrations this year because last year we literally had standing-room only,” Kelle says. The cooking demos take about an hour, and then guests can enjoy eating the food that they just watched being prepared. This food will, of course, be served with an appropriate wine pairing.