Crave! NW returns to Spokane Valley, bringing three days of food and fun

BY SYDNEY FLUKER

Nothing says summer like enjoying good food, good music and good friend in the great outdoors. CRAVE! NW, Spokane’s premier foodie event of the summer, offers just that and more!

The largest culinary event in the Spokane area returns July 14-16, 2022 at the Centerplace Regional Event Center in Spokane Valley, gathering the best from the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene regions. Hosted under outdoor tents, attendees get to watch each chef and their team as they prepare tapas-style dishes inspired by each night’s theme.

The event kicks off Thursday with a Burger SmackDown, presenting a night of the best burgers in the area. Chefs will compete against one another for people’s choice and celebrity trophies while attendees are entertained with smack-down wrestling, live music and local spirits.

Friday features a Foods from Around the World theme, highlighting different cuisines of the chef’s choice. Fire & Smoke will be on full display Saturday as the chefs show off their favorite barbecued, grilled and smoked dishes, with local tribal dancers, drummers and others providing entertainment.

In total, Crave! features over 45 chefs, 20+ local producers, 12+ breweries and cider houses and 12+ wineries over the three-night event.

Organized by Crave! Culinary Director Adam Hegsted, the event was created to help the culinary community in the area continue to grow. To help the region learn more about the food scene and its purveyors, Hegsted and partners created an event that showcased local chefs, producers, wineries, breweries and restaurants.

“I feel that through strong ties to each other and the support of people in our industry, our food community will continue to prosper and grow,” Hegsted said.

Chef Chris White of Cosmic Cowboy has been cooking at Crave! since the event began.

“One of the fun things about it is that it’s not super serious,” White said. “It’s just a lot of fun, it’s all about the food and people connecting.”

The culture of community is one of White’s favorite parts of the event. At Crave!, it's normal to see chefs running around and sharing their dishes with one another since it grants them the opportunity to get out of their own kitchens and interact with their peers in the industry.

Don’t miss this unique event celebrating the local food communities of Spokane & Coeur d’Alene. Visit cravenw.com for tickets, chef profiles and more information about this delicious weekend.