Jeju Food & Wine Festival to be held for 10 days in May

[Photo by Yonhap]

The 2024 Jeju Food & Wine Festival (JFWF) will take place on Jeju Island for 10 days starting from May 9.

According to industry sources on Monday, the annual global gourmet festival has been held in May since 2016 to position Jeju Island as the epicenter of East Asian gastronomy. The festival celebrates its 9th edition this year.

The event will take place across Jeju Island, with the Jeju Halla Convention Center and the Haevichi Hotel & Resort Jeju as the main venues.

“Through collaboration with culinary students in Jeju, we will contribute to nurturing future chef talent and donate the proceeds to scholarships for culinary majors,” said a spokesperson for the JFWF organizing committee.

This year, 18 top chefs from home and abroad will attend the event.

Notable chefs such as Michelin-starred chefs Kang Min-chul, Kwon Woo-joong, Kim Do-yun, Lee Choong-hoo, and Cho Hee-suk have already attracted attention.

Various renowned restaurants from Jeju will also offer special benefits and menus to festival-goers.

The festival will showcase a diverse array of programs, including the announcement of the top 200 Jeju gourmet restaurants, outdoor screenings of food-related films, wine classes, wine fairs, master chef classes, garden dinners, dessert fairs, wine dinners, gala dinners, and more.

The Jeju Gourmet Spoon 200, featuring 200 representative restaurants of Jeju, will offer various benefits to visitors and present special menus.

Visitors who subscribe to the JFWF YouTube and Instagram channels can receive benefits, and the list of restaurants can be found on the festival’s website.

A new program, the Jeju Gourmet Mobile Voucher, offers a 10 percent discount on food purchases and utilizes blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFT) from EQBR Holdings, a blockchain infrastructure company, to enhance trustworthiness.

One highlight of this year’s festival is the wine dinner on May 17, attended by world-renowned wine critic James Suckling.

This dinner, where wines recommended by Suckling will be paired with courses, will feature his personal introductions of the wines. Moreover, the wine fair will provide an opportunity to taste dozens of wines highly rated by Suckling.

At the wine classes, participants can listen to lectures from famous sommeliers. At the garden dinners, seven famous chefs will gather to showcase the diverse flavors of Jeju using its pristine seafood, meat, and vegetables.

Attendees can also enjoy a variety of alcoholic beverages from around the world, including wine, beer, and traditional Jeju liquor, along with musical performances.