The Columbus Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is pleased to announce the return of one of the premier events in Columbus, the Synovus Toast of the Town. The Eleventh Annual Synovus Toast of the Town is scheduled for Friday, March 6, 2020 at the Columbus Georgia Convention and Trade Center.

Savor world-class wines, handcrafted beers, and delicious Southern spirits while dining on food prepared by some of the region’s most celebrated chefs. In addition to sampling their wares, guests will meet and mingle with the contributing brew-masters, vintners, master-distillers and culinary luminaries, all of whom will be on hand to share their unique tastes and toasts.

“The fundraising efforts of Synovus Toast of the Town account for a third of our annual operating budget. This vital financial support allows us to provide quality artistic programming and interactive
educational experiences to our community,” said CSO Executive Director Eric Thomas. “This is the sixth year of our partnership with Synovus as the event’s title sponsor and our fourth year with Aflac
as our Culinary Experience sponsor. The CSO, Synovus, and Aflac are all major community advocates and we continue to maintain a deep commitment to the enrichment of Columbus and the surrounding region.”

While the Grand Tasting is the main event of the Synovus Toast of the Town, the CSO is excited to continue the tradition of an exclusive, pre-Grand Tasting event, the Aflac Culinary Experience.

“Aflac is thrilled to continue its support of the Synovus Toast of the Town, a treasured event the Chattahoochee Valley community looks forward to every year,” said Shannon Watkins, Senior Vice
President of Brand and Creative Services at Aflac. “We are excited to bring our community and world class culinary talent together through an exclusive experience benefiting the esteemed Columbus Symphony Orchestra. This year, the Aflac Culinary Experience will kick off the evening featuring flavorful eats and one-of-a-kind drinks by not only one, but TWO James Beard Award winning chefs,
John Currence and Vishwesh Bhatt of Oxford, Mississippi.”

John Currence is the chef and owner of the City Grocery Restaurant Group, including City Grocery, Bouré, Big Bad Breakfast, Snackbar, & Main Event Catering. Born and raised in New Orleans, John’s career in food has covered half the globe but is tightly focused on his roots in the Deep South and Louisiana. Winner of the James Beard Best Chef South in 2009 and a recent participant on Top Chef Masters, he is a contributing editor at Garden & Gun Magazine, and author of Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey: Recipes From My Three Favorite Food Groups and Big Bad Breakfast: The Most Important Book Of The Day.

2019 James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef South and Southern Living Southerner of the Year, Vishwesh Bhatt joined City Grocery in 1997. Under the tutelage of Chef John Currence, Bhatt began working as a line cook. After a brief hiatus to earn his Culinary Degree, Vishwesh returned to the City Grocery Restaurant Group as a catering chef in 2002. In 2009, Chef Bhatt opened Snackbar, where using his years of culinary experience and exposure to worldwide cultures, he has created a menu that intertwines Southern and subcontinental foodways. His work earned him a People’s Best New Chef nomination from Food & Wine in 2011 and his restaurant Snackbar has been recognized by local and national media as one of the finest restaurants in the South.

The Synovus Toast of the Town Grand Tasting will feature vintners from around the world as well as regional chefs, restaurants and suppliers of spirits and beer. Guests will taste samples from Columbus restaurants including 11th and Bay Southern Table, Morten’s at Old Town, Bare Roots Farmacy, Vertigo Fusion Kitchen, Parker’s Pantry, Clean Eatz, and Stock Market Dueling Kitchens.

Caterers Crème De La Crème, Divine Dinners, It’s Your Day Catering, and Classic Fare Catering will be at this year’s event. Local favorites, Country’s BBQ, The Simple Greek, Wicked Hen and
Zombie Pig BBQ will be back, as well as regional favorites, Callaway Gardens, T-Bones Steakhouse & Grill, Drive-by Tacos and Lillie’s Q; in addition, local private clubs including The Chattahoochee River
Club, the Country Club of Columbus, and the Green Island Country Club. This year’s event will feature several specialty vendors such as Midland Ghost, The Real Dill Pickle, Goodson Pecans, Georgia Organics, Southern Straws, High Cotton Cashews, How Sweet It Is Cake Studio & Dessert Shop, and Greenway Farms of Georgia.

There is truly something for every palette to taste!

Regional winemakers, Five Points Berries Winery and River’s Bend Winery and Vineyards, as well as wines distributed by Georgia Crown, B&B Beverage Company, Empire Distributing, Winebow Fine Wines & Spirits, Prime Wine & Spirits, Eagle Rock Distributing Co. and United Distributing will be featured at the event. New this year, we welcome Emerald Hare, Jackson Estate Winery, ROCO Winery, Santa Margherita USA and many more. The Synovus Toast of the Town will also highlight the spirits of ASW Distillery, Thirteenth Colony Distillery, Blade & Bow Whiskey, and Cathead Distillery and local spirits, Swamp Fox Distillery, Wild Leap Vodka and John Emerald Distillery. Preferred Package Stores, Uptown Wine & Spirits and The Bottle Shop will be pouring several of their favorite wines and spirits at the event as well. Additionally, guests will be offered beer tastings including Bud Light Seltzer, Fat Tire, Voodoo Ranger, Blue Moon, Wild Heaven Breweries, Line Creek Brewing Company, Corona Premier and Truly Hard Seltzer. Regional brewers, Pretoria Fields Brewery, Dry County Brewing, Wicked Weed Brewery, Cannon BrewPub, Southern Brewing Company and Wild Leap Brew Co. will be sampling their beers as well.

Vendor and supporter Bryant Walker, owner and executive chef of local restaurants Wicked Hen and Stock Market Dueling Kitchens, said, “The Synovus Toast of the Town is such a fun event! It supports a wonderful cause and does a great job showcasing what Columbus has to offer. I'm just glad I get to be a part of it.”

In addition to an evening of amazing tastes and toasts, the Synovus Toast of the Toast will feature a silent auction filled with unique and hard-to-find items. We are bringing back our raffle for an amazing trip for two - this year to the Oregon wine country. Valued at $5,000, this trip includes:

• Round-trip airfare for 2 on Delta Airlines from Atlanta to Portland.

• Private transfers between the airport and hotel.

• 2 nights accommodations at the Duniway Hotel, downtown Portland.

• 2 tickets for a Portland Food Tour.

• Private transfer from Portland to Willamette Valley.

• 2 nights accommodations at the Atticus Hotel in McMinnville

• Up to 3 winery tours each day

"The trip we won at the 2019 Synovus Toast of the Town was absolutely wonderful!” said last year’s raffle trip winner Kendall Handy. “From our flights and hotel reservations to the incredible planned experiences, this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we were thoroughly taken care of from start to finish. You better buy your raffle ticket for this year! It is well worth it."

Advance purchase requirements and blackout dates apply.

Tickets are non-refundable/ non-exchangeable. Trip must be fully redeemed by March 6, 2021. Dates and locations subject to availability. Raffle tickets are $50 each and may be purchased at www.ToastColumbus.com.

The Aflac Culinary Experience is from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and the Grand Tasting is from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at the Columbus Georgia Convention and Trade Center. For tickets and information visit www.ToastColumbus.com. Tickets to the Aflac Culinary Experience are $175 per person.

Grand Tasting tickets are $95 per person. Grand Tasting tickets will be $115 at the door plus taxes and fees.