RELIVE THE BEST BITES FROM ATLANTA FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL

Atlanta Food & Wine Festival brings together the best and brightest culinary minds to whip up exciting and innovative recipes each year and 2026 was no exception.  

Throughout the event, there were so many delicious bites and bold flavors that made an impact. From event winners to understated favorites, we’ve got the roundup.  

See below for some of the festival weekend’s stand-out bites:

Whiskey & Fire’s Heritage Hero Award for Best Bite

Congratulations to chef Lorenzo Washington from Chef Zo Made It Private Dining & Catering, our fifth Heritage Hero of the 2026 Heritage Fire tour! Atlanta’s best bite of the day was the delicious Ray Jean’s Brisket, a slow-smoked, tender brisket served with apricot-jalapeño BBQ sauce.

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Mike’s Amazing People’s Choice Award

At Stacked: A Burger Social Presented by Mike’s Amazing, chefs battled it out for the best burger of the day. No Idea Burger Joint won the title with their Gangnam Spicy Burger, a smash beef patty with jalapenos, melted pepper jack cheese, grilled onions, fresh greens and tomato, and finished with a signature sweet-and-spicy gochujang “double k” sauce on a toasted bun.  

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Whiskey & Fire Apparatus Award Winner

At each Whiskey & Fire event, chefs are encouraged to bring their favorite live-fire cooking apparatus to prepare their dishes in a way that’s unique and flavorful. Chef Kyle Bryner of Blue Hound Barbeque won this year’s Apparatus Award with his smoky setup, crafting his smoked confit pork cheek over fresh corn grits.