General admission attendees will be able to enjoy a variety of food and beverage offerings for purchase from local favorites like Gus’s Fried Chicken, Pronto Pups, MemPops and Alma de Jaguar tequila.
Since food is key part of this festival’s experience, Mempho organizers have brought in a guest chef to prepare the VIP offerings. Sarah Welch is a James Beard-nominated chef who led the kitchen of award-winning Detroit restaurant Marrow and has organized the fare for the Electric Forest music festival for the past 8 years.
Her approach to menu design for a festival could also be used when entertaining at home.
First: When planning a festival menu, Sarah first considers the theme of the event.
For Mempho, she has planned menus that feature what she calls “fun, drinking food”
She has curated daily menus with regional focuses that include Southern fare, SouthEast Asian cuisine and TexMex offerings.
Second: Keep it playful and approachable.
“We also like to make food interactive,” she said.
With that goal in mind, Sarah has planned a Nacho Bar where guests can choose from various toppings to build their own nachos.
As an added bonus, this allows guests to have offerings that fit their likes and dietary needs.
She also will feature many handheld options so guests can walk around and enjoy the festival experience as they enjoy their snacks.
Mempho is Oct 3 - 5 at the Memphis Botanic Garden Radians Amphitheater. Tickets are available at memphofest.com.
This is Jennifer Chandler with The Weekly Dish. Bon Appetit!
