Taste of the Wild 2026

WALTER Magazine brings back Taste of the Wild on Wednesday, October 28, at The Merrimon-Wynne House in downtown Raleigh. It's their annual celebration of the outdoors, North Carolina cuisine, and the chefs who bring local ingredients to life, and it always takes place at the same venue. The magazine itself takes its name from Sir Walter Raleigh—the writer, poet, and explorer the city claims as its namesake—and it channels those qualities in its pages.

This year's meal is a custom farm-to-table dinner prepared by chefs Lauren Krall Ivey of Olivero and Andrea Cardella of Standard Beer + Food in North Hills. The evening starts with a cocktail hour featuring live music, craft beverages, and local oysters, followed by the dinner, and finishing with a dessert from Andia Xouris of Andia's Ice Cream. It's a full night that moves from drinks and music to the main meal and then to dessert.

Past editions have featured farm-to-table dinners from local chefs like Ricky Moore, Dean Neff, and Jamie Davis, with partners including Triangle Land Conservancy, Westgate Wine, and Fullsteam Brewery. The dinner is the center of the evening, and the chefs change each year, so this is a one-off menu you won't find anywhere else.

Tickets are $125 each and are non-refundable. The whole thing runs from 6 PM to 9 PM at The Merrimon-Wynne House, 500 N. Blount Street, Downtown Raleigh, NC 27604.