Handcrafted Wishes 2016: A Night of Food, Beer & Charity
Chattanooga’s social scene is packed full of charity and benefit events (see Taste 2016 and Southern Brewers Festival). One of the best that I’ve been to so far was Handcrafted Wishes, which happened this past Friday, Oct. 7, at the Hunter Museum of American Art up in the Bluff View art district.
The second annual Handcrafted Wishes event was put on by Hand Family Companies, a leading beverage distribution company based up in Clarksville, Tennessee (with a sizable presence in Chattanooga) and represents some of the most recognizable brands. The event brought some of the best food in Chattanooga and some of the best craft beer from around the region to the roof of the Hunter Museum for party-goers to enjoy all night. More than 20 breweries and 15 restaurants participated and shared their eats and drinks.
What a view, right?
As I mentioned, Handcrafted Wishes is about more than just the food and beer. The Hand Family Companies are devoted to making positive impacts in the communities they serve. All proceeds from ticket sales and a silent auction benefitted the East Tennessee chapter of the famous Make A Wish Foundation, which does great work to help children with life-threatening illnesses make their truest wishes come true.
This year’s event was twice as big as last year’s inaugural Handcrafted Wishes, said Austin Sawyer of Hand Family Companies. This year brought twice as many people in attendance and even more food, drink and activities. Tickets sold out the morning of the event, and everyone who had one must have showed up, because the roof of the Hunter was jam packed with people ready for a good time. 600 people, to be exact.
The fun doesn’t end there; in addition to all the food and beer, there was live music from the Atlanta-based band Moontower, an interactive photo booth, a beer education table (presented by Chattanooga-based Heaven and Ale Brewery), retro arcade games from The Coin-Op Chattanooga and outdoor games from Southside Social. There was no way to not have a good time at this event.
I’ll always say “yes” to souvenirs from events. Always.
Some of my favorite eats from the night included pretzel bits from Brewhaus, new chicken tacos from Flying Squirrel, gelato from Milk & Honey and ribs from Feed Co. Table & Tavern. I’m already a huge fan of Squirrel’s cuban tacos, so I knew the chicken tacos would be right up my alley.
For the brews, I was super excited to sample a couple sips from Creature Comforts Brewing Company, based in Athens, Ga. I have a few friends who rave about it, so I’m glad I finally had a chance to see what they were talking about. Their Athena berliner weisse was fantastic. I also highly recommend Bell’s specialty Oktoberfest brew.
But far and away, the best part of the night was enjoying the company of some of the best people in town and dancing the night away with live music. My Snapchat story was on fire that night. Just saying. Oh, and not to mention that the event raised more than $10,000 for the Make A Wish Foundation.
If you missed Handcrafted Wishes, have no worries — it will be back next year! Expect it to be even more awesome than it was this year with new features, food and brews. Stay tuned on the Hand Family Companies website and Facebook page for updates and news for next year!
In the meantime, there are plenty more awesome events coming up in Chattanooga this fall. Next up on my list: the Best Town (For)Ever celebration and the Chattajack paddle board race!
What’s next up on your calendar this fall?
