CHARLESTON WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL
635 RUTLEDGE AVE SUITE 101, CHARLESTON, SC 29403 charlestonwineandfood.com

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Organizations Filed Purposes: CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD IS A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS CHARLESTON AND THE LOWCOUNTRYS DIVERSE CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY. THE ORGANIZATION CHAMPIONS THE REGIONS UNIQUE FOODWAYS 365 DAYS A YEAR THROUGH WORLD-RENOWNED CULINARY EXPERIENCES THAT BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO SHARE STORIES, CREATE CONNECTIONS, AND INSPIRE CURIOSITY. OUR MISSION IS TO PRODUCE EXPERIENCES THAT CELEBRATE, EDUCATE, AND PROMOTE THE LOWCOUNTRY'S DIVERSE CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY.

CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD IS A 501(C)(3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS CHARLESTON AND THE LOWCOUNTRY'S DIVERSE CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY. THE ORGANIZATION CHAMPIONS THE REGION'S UNIQUE FOODWAYS 365 DAYS A YEAR THROUGH WORLD-RENOWNED CULINARY EXPERIENCES THAT BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO SHARE STORIES, CREATE CONNECTIONS, AND INSPIRE CURIOSITY. OUR MISSION IS TO PRODUCE EXPERIENCES THAT CELEBRATE, EDUCATE, AND PROMOTE THE LOWCOUNTRY'S DIVERSE CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY. THE ORGANIZATION WAS FOUNDED IN JULY 2005 BY A GROUP OF COMMUNITY LEADERS WITH A VISION OF CREATING AN EVENT TO PROMOTE + ELEVATE CHARLESTON'S CULINARY BRAND. THE GOAL WAS TO PUT CHARLESTON ON THE MAP AS A CULINARY DESTINATION, WITH A REPUTATION RIVALING OTHER WELL-KNOWN FOOD + DINING DESTINATIONS, AND TO BRING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION TO THE CITY. TO DO SO, THE ORGANIZATION WOULD CREATE A WINE + FOOD FESTIVAL THAT WOULD ATTRACT AFFLUENT VISITORS TO THE CITY WHO WOULD RETURN TO CHARLESTON THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO HELP DRIVE THE CITY'S ECONOMIC ENGINE BY STAYING IN OUR HOTELS, DINING IN OUR RESTAURANTS, AND OTHERWISE SPENDING MONEY LOCALLY. THE FESTIVAL WAS STRATEGICALLY TIMED TO CREATE VISITOR DEMAND IN CHARLESTON DURING A TIME OF YEAR NORMALLY NOT POPULAR FOR TOURISM. SINCE THE FIRST FESTIVAL DEBUTED IN 2006, IT HAS GROWN INTO A FIVE-DAY EVENT FEATURING OVER 130 UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL EVENTS TAKING PLACE ACROSS THE GREATER CHARLESTON AREA. FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING SHOWCASES THE STORIES, CULTURE, AND HISTORY OF CHARLESTON'S CUISINE, WATERWAYS, AND ITS PEOPLE THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF A VARIETY OF EVENTS RANGING IN SIZE AND STYLE. IN THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION AND CONTINUED LEARNING FOR OUR LOCAL CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY, THE FESTIVAL COURTS TOP CHEFS, WINEMAKERS, AUTHORS, STORYTELLERS, ARTISANS, AND FOOD ENTHUSIASTS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE TO VISIT CHARLESTON AND PARTICIPATE IN THE EVENT. IT HAS BEEN ACCLAIMED BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY AS ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS WINE + FOOD FESTIVALS AND ONE THAT CHEF + BEVERAGE PROFESSIONALS SEEK TO GAIN AN INVITATION TO YEAR-AFTER-YEAR. OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS, THE FESTIVAL HAS WELCOMED NEARLY 334,386 ATTENDEES AND GENERATED 112.2 MILLION IN ECONOMIC IMPACT FOR THE LOCAL REGION. THE 2020 INSTALLMENT OF THE FESTIVAL SAW CLOSE TO 30,000 ATTENDEES AND INJECTED A MEASURED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ALMOST 20,000,000 INTO THE CHARLESTON COMMUNITY OVER JUST 5 DAYS. IN ADDITION TO THE FESTIVAL, CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD ENGAGES IN MISSION- DRIVEN WORK YEAR-ROUND THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF YEAR-ROUND EXPERIENCES, BOTH IN PERSON AND DIGITALLY ON THE ORGANIZATION'S ROBUST AND EVER-GROWING SOCIAL + WEB PRESENCE, COURTING REGIONAL AND NATIONAL MEDIA TO VISIT +WRITE ABOUT THE CITY AND ITS IMMENSE TALENT POOL, AND THROUGH THE EXECUTION OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS THAT CONTINUE TO CREATE A POSITIVE ECONOMIC INJECTION FOR OUR LOCAL CULINARY + HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY. IN THIS SPIRIT, CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD HAS LONG STANDING PARTNERSHIPS WITH ONE80 PLACE TRAINING AND COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON. ANNUALLY THE ORGANIZATION SUPPORTS BOTH ENTITIES THROUGH FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND TO-DATE THE ORGANIZATION HAS DONATED OVER 600,000 IN SUPPORT OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY INFLUENCE OUR LOCAL FOODWAYS AND ECONOMY. IN 2020 CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD DONATED ALMOST 3,000 POUNDS OF LEFTOVER FOOD TO ONE80 PLACE, HIRED 13 ONE80 PLACE TRAINING EMPLOYEES THROUGH A PAID EXTERNSHIP DURING THE FESTIVAL, SUPPORTED 2 SCHOLARSHIPS FOR COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON STUDENTS, AND MENTORED 64 COLLEGE STUDENTS THROUGH INTERNSHIPS AND THE VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTION OF TWO CLASSES BY CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD EMPLOYEES. AS THE ORGANIZATION LOOKS TO THE FUTURE, IT PLANS TO COLLABORATE WITH ADDITIONAL NONPROFITS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT WILL AID IN ITS GOAL OF BECOMING A MORE INCLUSIVE, DIVERSE AND EQUITABLE ORGANIZATION AND EVENT.

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