Hello, and welcome to our busiest month of the year!

When we’re out and about, talking about Burlington Wine & Food, we often get asked what our favorite part of the festival is.

It's not the wine and food, although there's plenty of it. It's not the crowd, though we love that, too.

It's the ten minutes before we open the gates. That’s when we do the final walkthrough, when everything is set and the room is buzzing with everyone ready to go. We look around at what's been built, and a room full of people who make remarkable things, and there's always this moment of genuine shock:

We’re actually pulling this off. And these incredible people are all here because we asked them to be.

Fifteen years, and it still feels that way.

This year, it might feel even a little more intense than usual. Because the people in that room on June 27 are not just talented…they're being recognized on a national level. This week, five Vermont producers won Good Food Awards…a national recognition for craft food and drink makers judged on taste, sourcing, and how they run their businesses. Three of them will be on hand at Hula. More on that below.

That’s on top of all the James Beard news this spring. Paul Trombly of Fancy's is a finalist for Best Chef: Northeast. Café Monette and Leslie McCrorey Wells were both national semifinalists. All will be represented at Hula.

We didn't plan any of this. It's just that Vermont is a small, tightly-knit state, and the people doing this kind of work tend to know each other, support each other, and show up for each other. On June 27, they'll all be in one room.

We'd love for you to be there, too.

Three and a half weeks out, and festival week is taking shape. Here’s what's on the calendar so far…

Tuesday, June 23: Nourish to Flourish is a fundraiser we're producing with our longtime community partner, Common Roots, benefiting their food equity and farm education programs. Wine tastings, farm-fresh food, live music, and a live auction, all at the lovely Wheeler House in South Burlington. Tickets are $100 and are limited. Get tickets here.

Wednesday, June 24: The Champlain Dinner Club heads out in Burlington. Here’s how it works…you fill out a short quiz, and we match you with a group of folks and send you all to dinner. But…surprise! You don't know where you're going until that morning, or who you're sitting with until you get there. One recent attendee called it, "Hands-down the best experience I've had all year." Take the quiz and grab your seat!

Thursday, June 25: Bramble in Essex hosts Wine & Friends No. 9. It’s a multi-course, family style, seasonal menu with wine pairings that are carefully chosen and generously poured…we've been to several of these, and there's a reason they keep selling out. Doors open at 6 p.m., tickets are $88 per person, and seating is limited. Get tickets here.

Saturday, June 27: The Festival. Hula Lakeside. Be there.

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One more quick thing: voting is now open for the Seven Daysies, and we’re excited to be a finalist again this year for Best Food & Drink Event. If you enjoy what we do, we'd love your vote!

The Good Food Foundation receives thousands of entries each year across seventeen categories…beer, spirits, cheese, pickles, chocolate, honey, and more. Products are tasted blind by a panel of judges, then winners are vetted for sourcing and business practices before the award is confirmed. It's not a popularity contest or “pay-to-play.” You either make something exceptional, the right way, or you don't win.

Here's who did…

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Farmers & Foragers is having quite a year. The team behind the beloved food truck on the Burlington waterfront took over the Old Lantern in Charlotte in February, hired James Beard finalist Avery Buck from May Day to run their catering operation, and has now signed on to take over the Café HOT. space on Main Street in Burlington. The downtown location will start as a commissary kitchen while they finalize the restaurant concept. A welcome addition to Main Street

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Schaefer's opened this week at 30 Bridge Street in Richmond (the former Hatchet space), and their menu sticks close to their motto: “Simple food, done right.” They are generously open for all three meals, starting with breakfast at 8 a.m. (corned beef hash, house benedict, hotcakes) and serving dinner until 8 (with entrees like steak frites, chicken Milanese, and oyster mushroom polenta). Richmond hasn't had a restaurant in that space for a while. Looking forward to checking it out.

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Under “making the most of a sad situation”… Prohibition Pig in Waterbury is holding a Schlitz Funeral this afternoon, June 4. Schlitz — "the beer that made Milwaukee famous" since 1849 — was discontinued last month, and Pro Pig is sending it off properly: “calling hours” from 4 to 5 p.m. in the restaurant, a funeral procession to the brewery at 5, followed by speeches and a funeral pyre. At 5:30, it’s 5th Quarter brats on the grill and the final cans while they last.

Also starting tonight and running all summer, Smuggler's Notch Distillery in Jeffersonville kicks off Tiki Thursdays…tiki cocktails, leis, island music, and even those tiny paper umbrellas. No tickets or reservations…just show up.

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Tomorrow night, June 5, Bread & Butter Farm's Burger Night is finally here…100% grass-fed beef burgers, hot dogs, and black bean burgers, with live music by Sap Line on the farm in Shelburne.

That same evening, Wilder Wines in Burlington hosts winemaker Alex of Libertine Wines from Oregon for a free in-store tasting from 5 to 6 p.m., then he'll stick around the bar for conversation and pours by glass or flight.

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On Saturday, June 6, Jitters Café at the new AC Burlington by Marriott hotel in downtown Burlington is throwing a Summer Soiree starting at 6:30 p.m.

And a few blocks away, La Reprise celebrates its one-year anniversary with an especially good bottle list and a room that will be full. Reservations are strongly recommended.

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A few different options are on tap for Sunday the 7th. Salt & Bubbles is launching “Blackboard Sundays”…owner Kayla behind the bar, special glass pours and bottle pricing, and a stripped-down bar snack menu. The casual, no-fuss event sounds perfect for a Sunday.

And heading south, lu.lu Ice Cream in Vergennes is hosting a Princess Bride Afternoon Tea at 2 p.m….$35 gets you tea treats like buttermilk biscuits, blueberry scones, smoked salmon sandwiches, Miracle Max's chocolate treats, and unlimited tea. Space is limited.

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On Thursday, June 11, Hotel Vermont hosts the High Country Grill on their Harbor Terrace…it’s a Cajun night with Les Taiauts Trio leading guided two-step instruction, plus a menu including Lawson's "Easy Sip," Cajun sausages and hot dogs from 5th Quarter, and muffuletta sandwiches.

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The weekend of June 13 and 14 has a few reasons to look ahead. On Saturday, Black Flannel in Essex runs Lagerfest on the Essex Experience green from 4 to 8 p.m….one session, multiple lager breweries, live music, food, and games.

That same day in Stowe, Ellison Estate Vineyard and Jasper Hill Farm are collaborating on “Vine and Vat”… an evening of pairing cave-aged cheese and Vermont natural wines. Five cheeses, five wines, limited seating…tickets are $60.

And on Sunday the 14th at Slate in Burlington, the Vermont Italian Cultural Association hosts Lido Aperitivo from 2 to 4 p.m. Enjoy cocktails and bites with cookbook authors Matt Scialabba and Melissa Pellegrino, whose book Lido: Recipes and Stories from Italy's Beach Clubs is the inspiration. Copies will be available for purchase and signing, and all kitchen items at Slate are discounted for attendees.

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Starting June 16, The Essex Kitchen at The Essex Resort is running a three-week Jr. Chef Baking Fundamentals series for kids ages 11 to15, with morning and afternoon sessions on June 16, 23, and 30. Each class digs into a core baking ingredient, and kids take home what they make.

On June 17, Downtown Winooski's Juneteenth celebration fills Rotary Park from 5 to 8 p.m. The food lineup is a major draw: authentic African dishes from Le Bon GoûT, honey-glazed cornbread from Harmony's Kitchen, baked treats from Sweet T's Cakery, and drinks from The Monkey House. Ernest James Zydeco closes out the evening from 6:30 to 8. Free and open to all.