Taste of Wrightsville Beach: Celebrating Culinary Excellence

Celebrate the culinary excellence of Wrightsville Beach with highlights from the 11th Annual Taste event, supporting local restaurants and raising funds for Meals on Wheels.

The 11th Annual Taste of Wrightsville Beach, held on November 4, 2023, was a resounding success, showcasing the best of the island’s culinary talents. Hosted by the Weekend Meals on Wheels Board, the event was made possible by the generous support of title sponsor MegaCorp Logistics, official boat sponsor MarineMax, official car sponsor BMW of Wilmington, band sponsor Hagood Homes, and many others. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the celebrity judges, band, raffle donors, volunteers, and especially the vendors who made this event possible.

Celebrating the Winners

The competition was fierce, with outstanding offerings in food, beer, wine, and spirits. Congratulations to the winners in each category:

Celebrity Judges Winners:
• Best Overall Savory: Beach Bagels & Subs with their Havana ‘Nana mojo pork, marinated onions, plantains, and spicy cilantro sauce.
• Runner Up Savory: Oceanic’s crispy pork belly with a micro green salad, pomegranate, and butternut squash puree.
• Best Overall Sweet: Solstice Kitchen and Cocktails’ crab cake with fried tomato pimento cheese and lime aioli.
• Runner Up Sweet: Sweet n Savory Cafe’s Bailey’s salted caramel chocolate cake.
• Best Tasting Savory: Bluewater Waterfront Grill’s pork carnitas taco with Mexican street corn, pickled onions, and smoked chipotle aioli.
• Best Tasting Sweet: Solstice Kitchen and Cocktails’ coconut delight cheesecake.
• Best Presentation Savory: King Neptune Wrightsville Beach’s Wagyu meatballs with Thai basil pesto, pepitas, fried basil, parmesan, and cilantro microgreens.
• Best Presentation Sweet: Solstice Kitchen and Cocktails’ coconut delight cheesecake.
• Most Creative Savory: CheeseSmith’s sourdough with whipped chevre, tomato jam ‘caviar’, and prosciutto.
• Most Creative Sweet: Beach Bagels & Subs’ smoothie “Appley Ever After” with caramel, apples, apple juice, cream cheese, and graham crackers.

People’s Choice Awards:
• People’s Choice Savory: Ceviche’s tuna crudo tostado.
• People’s Choice Sweet: Solstice Kitchen and Cocktails’ coconut delight cheesecake.
• People’s Choice Best Wine: Sambula Imports, LLC.
• People’s Choice Best Beer (Tie): Mad Mole Brewing and Waterline Brewing Company.
• People’s Choice Best Spirit: Hacienda Chactun Tequila.

A Tradition of Support and Resilience
The Taste of Wrightsville Beach began 12 years ago to celebrate the island’s diverse culinary offerings and support local restaurants during the quieter winter months. Despite challenges such as hurricanes, nor’easters, and a pandemic, the event continues to thrive with the unwavering support of sponsors, vendors, and patrons. This year’s beautiful weather was a welcome addition to the festivities.

Supporting Western NC Fundraising Efforts
In addition to celebrating local cuisine, the event raised significant funds through raffles and auctions to support Meals on Wheels organizations in Western North Carolina. Thanks to the generosity of patrons and donors, the proceeds tripled previous earnings, providing much-needed support to these communities.
For more information on the Taste of Wrightsville Beach and how to support Weekend Meals on Wheels, visit Weekend Meals on Wheels.