The Golden Fork Food & Wine Experience
When: Sunday, January 31st, 2027 | 5pm–7pm
Where: Hogan Yards | 2745 St Lucie Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32960
After years of celebrating some of the Treasure Coast’s best restaurants through the Golden Fork Awards Ceremony, we’re ready to take Golden Fork in an exciting new direction. The traditional awards ceremony is retiring as we introduce the Golden Fork Food & Wine Experience — a concept we’ve wanted to bring to life for a long time and one that gives us the opportunity to grow and evolve the event year after year.
One thing that isn’t changing is the tasting experience at the heart of Golden Fork. Guests will still sample dishes from participating restaurants and cast their vote for the coveted Golden Fork People’s Choice Award. What is changing is everything we’re building around that experience. The new format expands throughout Hogan Yards with restaurant tasting stations, food trucks, live entertainment, and more freedom to mingle and explore the venue. Guests can also enhance their evening with special add-on experiences, including a guided wine tasting class and intimate steak experiences with Pepper & Salt BBQ’s Pitmaster John Chianis, offering a closer look at steak selection, preparation and grilling.
We’re also excited to welcome back a longtime favorite with a new name! Formerly known as the Treasure Coast MasterChef Competition, it returns in 2027 as the Golden Fork MasterChef Competition. During the Golden Fork Food & Wine Experience, a panel of expert local chef judges will taste all of the dishes presented that evening and select the Top 4 chefs to advance to the Golden Fork MasterChef Finale on Wednesday, March 10th at Indian River State College. There, the finalists will compete in a completely different setting — a seated, plated pop-up restaurant-style competition for up to 100 guests, working side-by-side with IRSC culinary and hospitality students to bring the evening to life.
One other important Golden Fork tradition isn’t changing: our commitment to giving back. We’ll continue partnering with a local food-related charitable organization, with a portion of the event proceeds donated to support its mission. Golden Fork has always been about celebrating our local culinary community, and this new format gives us the opportunity to make that celebration more interactive, more experiential and bigger than ever before.
Interested in Participating?
Are you a local restaurant interested in being part of the 2027 Golden Fork Food & Wine Experience? Space is limited, and qualified restaurants are invited to submit an application for consideration.