Intimate Dinners Launch at Music City Food & Wine Festival

The Music City Food & Wine Festival returns to Nashville with a twist in its delivery. Following its relaunch last spring, the festival has repurposed itself to celebrate Nashville’s culinary expertise while sending attendees home with new flavors to share.

Starting on April 21, 10 restaurants will host Intimate Dinners with select culinary leaders, highlighting local chefs such as Vivek Surti of Tailor and Mark Grimes of Deacon’s New South. Both restaurants exhibit Nashville’s roots, using local ingredients and tradition.

Tailor’s 2026 tasting menu highlights spices and sides, such as turmeric in Corn Poha, cumin seeds in their Mom’s Catfish and Poori and lemon yogurt seasoning the Platinum Ossetra Caviar. These dishes bring flavors of Surti’s Indian heritage to the table.

While uniquely Nashvillian, Tailor is dedicated to sharing the first-generation American narratives with Surti’s recipes, making him what he considers a songwriter with food.

“This is the story of my family’s journey to America and the place that they now call home,” he says. “When people come to Nashville, they’re coming for a special and authentic Nashville experience… [so] it is a very true and accurate representation of someone who’s lived here since they were five.”

Deacon’s Intimate Dinner menu includes four courses of Southern tradition, with options like Nashville-style hot deviled eggs, sweet corn scallops, gnocchi and white porcini Bolognese and hummingbird cake, filled with pineapple compote and banana crème. 

Though Deacon’s emphasizes house-aged steaks and chops, Grimes has also provided inventive meatless options that create an equally grand experience. 

“The vegetarian [options] feel special at our restaurant — they’re not just fill-in items,” he says. “We really want to make sure that they can experience a level of quality, plating, execution and flavors.”

Intimate Dinners run through April 23, with the main festival events running from April 24 to 26. Tickets and all event details are available at www.musiccityfoodandwinefest.com.