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Food And Wine Festival Debuts In Fort Worth

FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) - It was two years in the making, but the dream of creating the first annual Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival finally came true this year.

Russell Kirkpatrick, Executive Director and Co-founder of the event, said he has seen a shift in the food culture in Fort Worth.

"We've had a culinary emergence in Fort Worth the past two or three years," he said.

Since then, he's been working to bring the Food and Wine Festival to his city.

But unlike most Food and Wine Festivals, where celebrity chefs are brought in, organizers at Fort Worth's event wanted to keep everything and everyone local.

Only local chefs, restauranteurs, and craft breweries were invited to participate.

"It's a great representation of how good the food scene is growing in Fort Worth," said Keith Grober, Chef at Fort Worth's Rodeo Goat.

At Saturday's sold out Burgers, Brews and Blues event, guests got to taste burgers from thirteen local burger restaurants.

Twenty-six local craft breweries brought their beers for guests to taste.

Dallas-based Four Corners Brewery debuted their flip top can at the event. They are the first in Texas to have aluminum beer cans with removable tops.

"You can see it, smell and drink it," said Steve Pocari, part owner of the Four Corners Brewery. "It's just like a glass."

Fort Worth foodies say they've been hungry for an event like this.

"I love these type of events," said Brian Mills. "Get out, check out the food and support local businesses. It's wonderful."

Organizers hope this is the first step toward making Fort Worth relevant in the nation's culinary scene.

"To become a culinary destination, that's the long term goal," said Kirkpatrick.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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