- December 5, 2025
St. Johns residents Christina Harder, Shana Rivers and Michelle Midgley followed their "leader of the pack," Dana Graham, to the Hammock Beach Food and Wine Classic on Saturday for a girls' night out. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
Sara Snavely savors a snapper escabeche tostada with fresh veggies presented by Hammock Beach’s banquet culinary team. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
Burnett and Annette Seabrook visit Hammock Beach "to stay and play" occasionally and planned this trip to coincide with the Food and Wine Classic. “The map drew us in,” Burnett Seabrook said. “It’s always good to learn about the location from which the grapes came. We were just in Italy and learned a lot about the soil.” Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
Lauren Light, Lucero Lawhun, Lisa Smith, DeeDee Leverett, Andrea Palmer, and Jennifer Smith enjoy meeting up from cities around Florida to relax, sample unfamiliar wine and taste the fare presented by resort eateries. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
Scott Downs, chef de cuisine at Hammock Beach’s Atlantic Grille, serves up a pan-seared scallop on crawfish etouffee with flash fried spinach leaf. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
Alecia Lind of Palm Coast samples California roll and lobster roll sushi attending her first Hammock Beach Food and Wine Classic. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
Cheryl Lulli and Bob Winterhalter enjoy roasted lamb lollipop with herbed couscous and tzatziki sauce while attending their second Hammock Beach Food and Wine Classic. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
One of 11 food choices includes a snapper escabeche tostada with fresh veggies presented by Hammock Beach’s banquet culinary team. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
Ashley Orlando and Carmen Nila, all the way from Bossier, Louisiana, declare the Hammock Beach Food and Wine Classic "a fabulous event." Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
Terrie Wilkins and Sharon Cook sample Luc Belaire Rare Lux served by Ashley Neymeister. The friends traveled from Jacksonville, "Just to try the resort, sample some food and wine and have a girls' weekend. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
Ormond resident, Caroline Epstein, accepts a pour of Do Epic Sh*t Sauvignon Blanc from the label's representative, Maria Shatkina. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
The Hammock Beach banquets culinary team presents a savory roasted lamb lollipop with herbed couscous and tzatziki sauce. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
The Last 2 Leave band entertains members and guests at the Hammock Beach Food and Wine Classic on Saturday. Photo by Christine Rodenbaugh
What began three years ago as a single-day, members-only event, the Hammock Beach Food & Wine Classic has expanded to a multi-day celebration showcasing the culinary diversity of the resort’s dining outlets and attracting vintners from around the globe.
Woody Mitchell, director of food and beverage, will gather his team in November to start planning the 2026 Classic. Each year, they recount what they loved about the Classic, what can be done better and how the event can get bigger.
“And bigger doesn’t just include numbers,” Mitchell said. “It’s the experience as a whole that needs to grow.”
Still, he’s quick to point out the inaugural event consisted of 27 wine tasting tents and eight food options serving about 185 club members and by year three, the 2025 Classic increased to 41 tents and 11 culinary experiences drawing an anticipated 600 members and guests.
The Classic expanded in scope as well. Friday, the event kicked off with a members-only golf tournament conceived by a self-described fun-loving food and beverage director who, by the way, is not a serious golfer.
“We had 11 games and it was just a blast,” Mitchell said. The long drive contests replaced golf balls with food items like marshmallows and grapes. “Just imagine hitting a grape with a driver,” Mitchell said. “It would disintegrate!”
Chipping a wiffle ball into a giant wine glass proved amusing as well as replacing a tee with a cork. Prizes included magnums of wine provided by the vintners who would host tastings at Saturday’s main event.
More serious enthusiasts could attend seminars Friday including a focus on Spanish wines.
New to the 2025 Classic was a Florida-German Beer Garden with samples of an Octoberfest brew, some IPAs, and lagers paired with warm pretzels and accoutrements, German bratwurst, tangy sauerkraut and pickled red cabbage.
A spirited table featured an Angel’s Envy Manhattan and a Patron Reposado Paloma. Direct from Jalisco, Mexico, Mitchell selected barrel #62 tequila as an homage to the Ocean Course record–62.
A highlight of each Classic for Mitchell and his team is watching a guest experience the property for the first time seeing the palm-lined entrance to the elegant lobby then the expansive view of the Atlantic Ocean.
“Where else,” Mitchell said, “can someone have an opportunity to sample 121 wines, five beers, two spirits and 11 food options in a coastal atmosphere?”
