This November, Highlands is bringing back a tradition that began decades ago.
From November 12-15, Highlands Culinary Week returns as a celebration of the chefs, restaurateurs, winemakers, purveyors, and hospitality professionals who have helped shape the Plateau into one of the Southeast’s most distinctive culinary destinations.
Culinary Week is presented by 828 Epicurean Experiences, the coalition of local small-business owners and hospitality professionals that brought Restaurant Week to the Plateau this spring. Created to strengthen Highlands as a year-round culinary destination, the organization develops thoughtful food, wine, and hospitality experiences that celebrate local talent, encourage collaboration, and give both residents and visitors new reasons to gather, explore, and support the community.
Unlike a traditional restaurant week centered around discounts or prix fixe menus, Culinary Week is built around experiences. Throughout town, participating businesses will host chef-driven dinners, collaborative events, wine and spirits tastings, live entertainment, oyster roasts, cocktail events, and other special gatherings designed to showcase the creativity and talent within our culinary community.
This year also marks the return of a Highlands tradition with roots that stretch back decades. Culinary Week was originally created as a way to celebrate the Plateau’s growing food and hospitality community, bringing people together around the talent, creativity, and sense of place that have long defined dining in Highlands. Reviving Culinary Week is not about recreating the past but carrying that tradition forward for a new generation of chefs, businesses, residents, and visitors.
The week is also about continuing Highlands’ longstanding reputation as a culinary destination. November has historically been an important time for food and wine tourism on the Plateau, with visitors planning trips around special dinners, tastings, and culinary events. Culinary Week continues that tradition while creating something that belongs distinctly to Highlands.
For visitors, it’s an invitation to turn dinner reservations into a long weekend, pairing culinary events with scenic drives, waterfall hikes, downtown shopping, afternoon cocktails, and the slower rhythm that makes Highlands especially memorable in the fall.
For locals, it is a chance to experience familiar restaurants differently, discover new talent, and support the independent businesses that give this community so much of its character.
Culinary Week gives chefs, businesses, makers, and hospitality professionals a reason to step outside their usual routines and create something together. For more information or to reach out if you are interested in participating visit 828Epicureanexperiences.com.
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