James Beard-Winning Asheville Chef Katie Button Heads Up Florence Wine & Food Festival Finale

If you think that the opening of super gigantic gas station Buc-ee’s was the biggest food news to come out of Florence, South Carolina, then take a look at its annual Florence Wine & Food Festival. James Beard Award-winning chef Katie Button (of Cúrate and La Bodega in Asheville) will lead a dinner for 300 people to celebrate the festival’s finale on Saturday, April 1. The event will also feature local chefs, wines from Oregon winery Domaine Serene, and food and travel journalists Matt and Ted Lee as the emcees for the evening.

Before the pandemic, the Florence Wine & Food Festival reached out to the Lee Brothers to give the events a makeover. Now on March 30 through April 1, attendees will get to experience what they’ve been working on. The weekend begins on Thursday with a Meat & Meander event focusing on grilled and smoked foods and ends with the Spanish-inspired feast led by Button. Multiple events, including a tasting of restaurants, produce, and specialty foods from the Pee Dee region, are planned for the rest of the weekend.

Florence is a special place for the Lee Brothers as it was the first destination they wrote about for Travel + Leisure magazine in 1999. Over the years, they’ve also written multiple cookbooks, including The Lee Bros. Charleston Kitchen, appeared on their own television show on the Ovation network, and most recently dove into the world of high-end catering with their book Hotbox.

Tickets to the Florence Wine & Food Festival are still available online.