Last Saturday, Montclair’s Wellmont Theater became a secret jazz club taken over by flappers, gangsters, and great booze and food at The Speakeasy, presented by Montclair Food & Wine Festival (MFWF).
Some 700 people, many dressed in period garb, partied at The Speakeasy, posing for photos by a vintage automobile outside and dancing to the hot jazz inside by Brass Illusion.
“I can’t wait to do it again! The Welmont crew was absolutely on point and our staff of volunteers couldn’t have been better,” says MFWF founder Melody Kettle. “The restaurants that donated their product were absolutely phenomenal in their preparation and presentation, and of course, Sharon and her team at Amanti Vino curated such an excellent selection of beers, wines and spirits. I really feel it was the best event to date, and everybody walked away happy!”
Kettle adds that the event raised more than $25K for Intensive Therapeutics and also raised funds for a grant to Montclair DIGS.
Besides fantastic music and a fun, festive atmosphere, the Speakeasy was packed with station after station of restaurants and food purveyors showcasing inventive small bites as well as wine, beer and spirits to pair with them.
There were too many terrific tastes to name them all but some memorable morsels came from Egan and Sons with their individual chicken pot pies; spicy Indian cuisine from Brick Lane; The Manor’s roasted root vegetable and tomato soup with crab lobster jicama slaw with lotus root chip; a chicken liver mousse with picked red onion and mustard seed from Turtle & The Wolf; decadent deviled eggs from Ariane Kitchen & Bar; Bluff City BBQ’s corn velvet soup with smoked shrimp; and Vital Dining’s amazing pulled jerk chicken in plantain cups (pictured below). Tell us what you loved about the event in comments.
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