CRAVE! NW is the Inland Northwest’s premier food and drink celebration – dedicated to uplifting the Pacific Northwest’s culinary scene.

Presented by the City of Spokane Valley, CRAVE! NW is the largest culinary event in the Spokane area. This year, the outdoor 3-day food festival is showcasing the creative talents of visionary chefs and tastemakers from around the region while highlighting the flavors of the great Northwest. Each night has its own theme – Burger Smackdown, Foods from Around the World, and Fire & Smoke. This is all highlighted by 45+ chefs, 20+ local producers. 12+ breweries and cider houses, 12+ wineries, and live music. 

What to expect:

To kick off the greatest culinary celebration in the northwest, join us for smack-down wrestling and a “best burger” competition! Winners will be awarded a People’s Choice as well as competing for a title belt with celebrity judges. Maybe one of our Crave NW chefs will get in the ring with the pros? You will have to wait to see! You don’t want to miss out on a smack down of burgers, brews, cider, wine, and wrestling! 

One of the celebrity chefs showcasing his mastery of the hamburger is Chef Alvin Cailan (pictured above). Chef Cailan has risen to become arguably the most high-profile chef in America’s Filipino food movement. He took the food scene by storm when he opened the now-legendary Eggslut in Los Angeles, a foodie cult favorite specializing in affordable but sophisticated egg sandwiches. Alvin also hosts the popular The Burger Show on First We Feast’s YouTube channel, with many episodes exceeding 1 million views and guests such as Seth Rogen and Padma Lakshmi. 

Another celebrity chef that will be competing in the ‘Best Burger’ competition will be Chef Chad White. Chef White, a Spokane native, never thought he would be a chef until joining the US Navy on 9/11. From cooking in the United States Navy, appearing on season 13 of Top Chef and now, a restaurateur, Chef White has had an exciting career earning many accolades along the way. In 2019, Chad opened 3 restaurants and in June, Chef White partnered with Travis Thosath to open TT’s Old Iron Brewery and Barbecue which was named “Best New Restaurant” and “Best Barbecue” by the Inlander Magazine. Most recently Chef Chad received a semi-finalist nomination for a James Beard “Best Chef” – Northwest region award spring of 2020. With his BBQ mastery, He is going to be a tough one to beat! 

More chefs to look forward to during Burger Smackdown:

• Rudy Valesquez: Eat Good Group
• Erik Stradhagen: Incrediburger and Eggs
• Peter Frose: Gander and Ryegrass
• Lucas Chavez: Republic Kitchen and Taphouse
• Corey Jackson: Yards Bruncheon

Friday night highlights Foods From Around The World, and a Carnivale festival of wonders to capture your imagination.  You will be entertained with live music and taste some of the best food from regional & national chefs in addition to amazing beer, cider, wine from our region!

The celebrity chef for the night will be none other than the visionary of CRAVE! NW himself, Chef Adam Hegsted. You do not want to miss out on what Hegsted will bring to the table. 

You also get to look forward to tasting some of the best beer, tastiest cider, and finest wines, from around the nation, every night of the three day event.

More chefs to look forward to during night two of CRAVE NW:

• Mary Weaver: Baba Spokane
• Paul Shields: Gander and Ryegrass
• Ashley Heathcote: Doughlicious
• Dan Gonzalez: Kismet
• Nick Mikkelson: Honey Eatery and Social Club

To wrap up the Inland Northwest’s premier food and drink celebration, we are going out hot! Add Tribal dancers, drummers, beer, cider and wine, you can most definitely expect a night you will not forget. Your taste buds will thank you after experiencing foods smoked, cooked, and seared over the fire while sipping on beer, cider, and wine from the best breweries, cideries, and wineries from around the nation. 

One of our celebrity chefs that will be joining us for Fire & Smoke night is none other than the fire and smoke master, Derek Wolf. You may have heard of “Cooking Over Fire” with over 2.2 million followers on instagram and 430k subscribers on youtube, Derek is the go-to guy when it comes to smoking and grilling. 

Another Chef you do not want to miss during Fire & Smoke is Chef Aaron Fish. Chef Aaron Fish began his culinary journey at the age of 14 in the heart of Marin County CA. “The first task I was ever given was to make 30 gallons of salsa” he reminisces. “30 gallons! I had never even used a chef’s knife before. It took me all shift, but I still came back the next day, and the day after that. I was hooked”. Chef Aaron is the chef de cuisine for Eat Good Group and oversees 11 restaurants in the Spokane and Coeur d’ Alene area.

Chefs to look out for during Fire & Smoke:

• Silas Rogers: Gilded Unicorn
• Chris Sylvia: Le Catering Co
• Caleb Smith: Arbor Crest
• Tariq Rahman: Tavolata
• Matthias Merges: Folk Art Management

The man behind CRAVE NW is chef and restaurateur Adam Hegsted. He is the proprietor of Eat Good Group, which owns and operates 11 restaurants in the Northwest. Hegsted started Crave NW with area partners because “I wanted to have Crave help be a catalyst for the continued growth of our food community, showcasing chefs, producers, wineries, breweries, and restaurants.”

Chef Adam Hegsted is a culinary leader and business visionary in Spokane. He has left, and continues to leave, his mark on Spokane and beyond through his dedication to changing the restaurant world. 

Tickets for the Inland Northwest’s premier food and drink celebration are going fast! Don’t miss out on this culinary experience and dine with some of the top chefs, greatest breweries, tastiest ciders, finest wines, from around the nation. Your taste buds will thank you!

Join us July 14th-16th at CenterPlace in beautiful Spokane Washington!

Photos courtesy of Crave!