On a perfect spring evening among the backdrop of Dallas Blooms, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden held its own inaugural Food & Wine Festival on March 16 to celebrate cuisine and libations from many cultures. More than 1,300 people sipped libations, sampled food and desserts from 40 chefs, and enjoyed a concert featuring Hobo Cane, a blend of pop and acoustic with a Latin flare, at the Martin Rutchik Concert Stage & Lawn.

Chef Sharon Van Meter, president of 3015 at Trinity Groves, chaired the festival. "2017 is the year of culinary pursuits for the Dallas Arboretum. The chefs of Dallas were excited about, not only, the first Dallas Arboretum Food and Wine Festival that sold out, but beyond ecstatic about A Tasteful Place opening later this year.”

Mark Wolf, Dallas Arboretum board chairman, added, “A special thanks to all the chefs who participated in this successful Food & Wine Festival. Their food was both creative and delicious. We look forward to more food events, especially when we open A Tasteful Place, a two-acre garden inspired by the movement toward garden-to-table dining sustainability and healthier lifestyles.”

Sponsors include Dallas Southwest Osteopathic Physicians, Rosewood Ranches Wagyu Beef, Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, SVM Productions, FreshPoint, Acqua Panna, S.Pellegrino, Lakewood Brewing Co. and Oak Highlands Brewery. Media sponsors include D Magazine and CultureMap.

The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is located on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake at 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas 75218.  The Dallas Arboretum is also the home of the internationally acclaimed Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. The Arboretum is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The Dallas Morning News is the principal partner of the Dallas Arboretum.  The Arboretum is supported, in part, by funds from the Dallas Park and Recreation Department.  WFAA is an official media sponsor for the Dallas Arboretum. For more information, call 214.515.6500 or visit www.dallasarboretum.org.