Thursday night was the kick off party.  This was my first and I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I purchased a VIP ticket for the gift bag but also to avoid the crowd.  I arrived early but had to wait for 6:00 as the registration wasn’t completely set up.

For me, the VIP gift bag was intriguing otherwise I would have went with a general admission ticket.  If you hate crowds VIP is definitely the way to go.  There was never any wait for tastings or beverages and plenty of space to walk around.  All of the samples were good but some chefs were more enthusiastic than others.  Spicy’s Cantina and Tre Amici are the two that come to mind as the most engaging.

I ended up leaving early as there wasn’t much more to do.  I had to drive so wine sampling wasn’t on my agenda.  I picked up my gift bag and headed home.

The gift bag itself was a reusable tote from TD Bank and included a TD Bank travel mug, airplane bottles of Tito’s Vodka and Gosling’s Rum, a JSRW tshirt, Sweet Bottom cookie, kitschens.com wine key, thank you notes from art-paper-scissors, a towel from Fresh Ginger (and a 10% coupon), and coffee from Boskerdoo.

I’d definitely go again but they seem to be more fun if I’ve got someone to enjoy it with.