Home » Grand Tasting – Mohegan Sun – Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023, Uncasville, CT, USA

Grand Tasting – Mohegan Sun – Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023, Uncasville, CT, USA

by Debra C. Argen and Edward F. Nesta
Chef Marc Murphy, Debra C. Argen - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience

Mohegan Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023

The Mohegan Sun – Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 in Uncasville, Connecticut once again provided a diverse selection of wines, liquors, and delectable foods to sample during the Grand Tasting along with celebrity chef demonstrations from Nyesha Arrington, Marc Murphy, Robert Irvine, Maneet Chauhan, Michael Symon, Richard Blais, Chad Rosenthal, Jason Santos, Michele Ragussis, and Robert Sisca. It was a perfect afternoon of eating and drinking well, with the bonus of learning about new products, and getting new recipes and tips from the chef talent.

 

Chef Marc Murphy and Debra C. Argen
Mohegan Sun – Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023

We attended the Grand Tasting on Saturday, January 28, 2023, one of the many events of the multi-day Mohegan Sun – Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023., now celebrating its 19th year. As the Grand Tasting ran from noon until 5:00 pm, we divided our time between attending chef demonstrations as well as tasting wine, spirits, and the delectable food and product offerings.

The Culinary Demonstrations

Chef Nyesha Arrington - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Chef Nyesha Arrington

On the Main Stage, we attended Chef Nyesha Arrington’s demonstration for fried chicken tenders in a "shatter-batter," made with a mixture of flour, rice flour, and cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, spices, egg whites, and soda water to give the chicken its crunch. Chef Arrington’s tip for tender and moist chicken is to first marinate it in buttermilk.

Chef Marc Murphy - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Chef Marc Murphy

For Chef Marc Murphy, they had a bit of fun giving him a "Chopped" basket of ingredients, which included Spam, a baguette, eggplant, onions, and a few other surprises that he turned into a very tasty sandwich. He seasoned the Spam and seared it in a skillet to give it a crispy crust, then made a puree with the sauteed eggplant to spread on the toasted baguette.

Chef Robert Irvine - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Chef Robert Irvine

We also attended the demonstration by Chef Robert Irvine of the TV show, Restaurant Impossible, where he made braised short rib shepherd’s pie. The meat was first cooked with Guinness and mushrooms, then placed in a shallow dish and covered with creamy mashed potatoes. The finishing touch was to add thinly sliced brie to the to the top of the mashed potatoes and bake it (or use a kitchen torch) until the cheese melted. Perfect for Saint Patrick’s Day, but why wait?

Chef Chad Rosenthal, Chef Plum - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Chef Chad Rosenthal and Chef Plum

On the Coca-Cola Stage, Chef Chad Rosenthal demoed how to make his Herb Brined, Herb Finished, Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich using chicken breasts, which he first marinated in a brine, then did a dry, then wet, then dry preparation before frying. Once fried, he added a generous amount of Kewpie Mayonnaise to a potato bun and added lots of pickles to seal the flavor deal.

Chef Michlel Ragussis, Chef Jimmy - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Chef Jimmy and Chef Michele Ragussis

We also attended Chef Michele Ragussis demonstration, where she demonstrated how to make her Chive Lobster Profiteroles. Earlier in the day, we stopped by Chef Michele’s table and sampled a few of these elegant and tasty morsels that would be perfect to serve for Valentine’s Day as "love bites."

Ergo Chef - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Ergo Chef

You cannot cook without a great knife, and Ergo Chef demonstrated how to use their knives.

Wine and Spirits Tasting

Camp Viejo - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Campo Viejo

There were many wonderful products to sample during the Grand Tasting, and we did our best to sample old favorites, as well as try new products as well. Here is a small sampling of what was available to experience.

Allan S. Goodman - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Allan S. Goodman Iinc.

Wines: Allan S. Goodman Inc. brought a tempting selection of Benziger wines including Tribute, Imagery, and their Sauvignon Blanc. Latitude Beverage Co. brought a wide assortment of great wines including the diverse selection of 90+ Cellars wine. Also on hand were Campo Viejo, Oberon, and Crios wines.

Jägermeister - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Jägermeister

Spirits: On the sweeter side of tastings, Dough Ball brought their Dough Ball Cookie Dough Whiskey as well as a ready-to-drink Espresso Martini. Jägermeister offered a Frozen Espresso Martini made with Jägermeister Cold Brew, Vanilla Vodka, Espresso Coffee, and Cane Sugar.

Remy Martin - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Rémy Martin

Cognac: Rémy Martin offered two delicious cocktails, made with two of their cognac expressions, The Rémy Sidecar made with Rémy Martin 1738, Cointreau, and Lemon Juice, and The Rémy V.S.O.P. Mule made with Rémy Martin V.S.O.P., Ginger Beer, Lime Juice, and garnished with a lime wheel.

Mount Gay - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Mount Gay Rum

Rums: Mount Gay Rum brought a variety of their rums from Barbados including their Eclipse, Black Barrel, and XO for tasting, and also served a delicious Bajan Punch. Maison Ferrand brought their Plantation Rum and Canerock Jamaican Spiced Rum. We also sampled Rum & Rye from Hercules Mulligan.

Clonakilty Distillery- Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Clonakilty Distillery

Irish Whiskeys and Gins: Bushmills and Clonakilty Distillery brought a delicious taste of Ireland with their selection of whiskeys for tasting, as did Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin with various expressions of their gin.

Michter's Limited Production American Whiskeys- Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Michter’s Limited Production American Whiskeys

American Whiskeys: There was a great selection of American Whiskeys including Michter’s Limited Production American Whiskeys, Root Out Root Beer Flavored, and Creek Water 100 Proof American Whiskey.

Creek Water 100 Proof American Whiskey - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Creek Water 100 Proof American Whiskey

Bourbons: Barrel Craft Spirits offered some very tasty high-end bourbons, along with Bulleit, and Maker’s Mark.

Barrel Craft Spirits - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Barrel Craft Spirits

Tequila: Latitude Beverage Co. brought a wide selection of spirits including Tequila Zarpado Blanco and Tequila Zarpado Reposado, along with Buddy’s American Vodka and Steel 43 Vodka.

Latitude Beverage Co. - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Latitude Beverage Co.

Don Julio brought two versions of their tequila, Don Julio Reposado and Don Julio Blanco for sampling as well as creating two tasty cocktails. For their Don Julio Paloma they combined Don Julio Reposado, Grapefruit Juice, Lime Juice, Agave Nectar, and Soda Water. For their Don Julio Margarita they used Don Julio Blanco, Lime Juice, and Agave Nectar. We sampled both, and they were both delicious!

Don Julio - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Don Julio

Brews were also well-represented with breweries on hand including Dogfish Head, Counter Weight, Two Roads, Back East Brewery, Stony Creek Brewery, and Whalers to name but a few.

 

Counter Weight- Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience

Counter Weight

 

 

Dogfish Head- Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience

Dougfish Head

 

A Sampling of the Food Tastings

Hot Taco - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Hot Taco

Chef Ryan Buchanan owner of Hot Taco from Cromwell, Connecticut offered Street Corn topped with Chipotle Mayo, Queso Fresco, and Pickled Onion, as well as a variety of tasty tacos. Ideal Fish from Waterbury, Connecticut created a Smoked Branzino Dip that was easy to make from their local, sustainable, no hormones or antibiotics, Branzino, and even easier to love (we tried several to be sure).

Chef Chrissy Tracey - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Chef Chrissy Tracey

Vegan Chef Chrissy Tracey handed out Crispy Potatoes topped with Vegan Sour Cream and Vegan Caviar, which were excellent, and would be very tasty as a passed hors d’oeuvres. JA Patty brought flaky and delicious Traditional Beef Patties to taste as well as Jerk Chicken.

Goodway Gourmet Bakery - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Goodway Courmet Bakery

Goodway Gourmet Bakery brought a variety of "The World’s Best Rum Cakes" and having tried the coconut, chocolate, and plain, we readily became fans. Bear’s BBQ Smokehouse Catering & Food Truck brought barbecue and yummy cornbread for tasting.

Bear's BBQ Smokehouse Catering & Food Truck
Bear’s BBQ Smokehouse Catering & Food Truck

In addition to experiencing the Grand Tasting, we also experienced Vintage Cru where the focus was on high-end wines. Read about Vintage Cru in the Wine Cellar section.

Hercules Mulligan -- Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience
Hercules Mulligan

Until next time, cheers and Bon Appetit!

For more information on the next Mohegan Sun – Sun, Wine & Food Fest or one of their other upcoming events, please visit the website: www.mohegansun.com.

Mohegan Sun - Uncasville, Ct

Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun Boulevard
Uncasville, CT 06382
United States
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otel Reservations: 1-888-777-7922
Website: www.mohegansun.com
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