Sipp & Savor organizers announced their lineup of chefs for the 2024 event during a Drop Party held at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Center on Saturday.

Save the date of April 6 because Meridian’s largest spring event, Sipp & Savor, is returning and will feature even more award-winning chefs from across the Southeast, more master brewers and craft distillers and more one-of-a-kind culinary experiences.

Returning for its fourth year, Sipp & Savor is billed as a food and drink experience. The event serves as the major annual fundraiser for the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience, more commonly referred to as The MAX, with proceeds going to support the center’s educational arts programs that showcase Mississippi’s creative talent.

“I am so excited about our lineup this year,” Elizabeth Williams, festival producer for The MAX, said of the chefs she has secured for the 2024 event. “We have some really fabulous chefs that I’ve been wanting to work with for a long time, and then we have a lot of our old favorites coming back.

“We have chefs coming from South Carolina, from Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and, of course, Mississippi,” Williams said at the Sipp & Savor Drop Party on Saturday night, announcing the lineup. “I am really excited for one chef in particular. His name is Derick Wade, and he owns The Darling Oyster Bar in Charleston.”

Headlining this year’s Sipp & Savor will be Chef Victoria “Tori” Loomis, a Louisiana native who writes a blog, “The Gatherin’ Girl,” and attended the Louisiana Culinary Institute.

“She’s very cool,” Williams said. “She’s a real outdoorsy kind of person. She’s a hunter, a gatherer and then her food is just incredible. Her slogan is ‘from field to table.’”

Music for this spring’s event will be provided by Flashmob Charleston.

Sipp & Savor is designed to be a celebration of the South’s rich culinary history.

Created in 2019 by a committee of local women, Sipp & Savor has grown into the largest event held in the spring in Meridian with more than 2,800 people attending the 2023 event.

“Last year, we had people from 13 different states and Canada,” Williams said, adding that the event is a big economic boost for downtown Meridian with local hotels booked for the weekend and restaurants and bars seeing an uptick in business.

“We bring in a bunch of award-winning chefs from all over the Southeast. They each prepare a signature bite, then we pair that with cocktails, beer, wine, and we have really gotten into the mocktail space recently,” she said.

Black Friday shoppers will be able to get their tickets for the 2024 Sipp & Savor when they go on sale this Friday. About 3,000 tickets will be available for the event. General admission tickets are $75 each and include an unlimited sampling from the chefs, as well as beverage samples. Premium pass tickets are $125 and allow the attendee to skip the line and enter the event an hour earlier at 5 p.m. It also includes unlimited beverages and an exclusive culinary experience.

Chefs lined up for April’s event include Alex Eaton, Alex Perry, Blake Jackson, Brandon Cain, Brandon Carter, Brett Hynes, Cameron Bryant, Chaz Lindsay, Cooper Miller, Cory Bahr, Craig Verhage, Dalton Prince, David Crews, Derick Wade, Elijah Russell, Emily Sharman, Enrika Williams, Hunter Evans, Jason Goodenough, Jeff McLennan, Jeffrey Compton, Jeremy Noffke, Jon Lansdale, Jonathan Harrison, Joseph Harrison, Josh Casper, Katie Dixon, Katie Fotopoulous, Lauren Joffrion, Leslie Roark Scott, Loma Xayalinh, Meredith Marshall, Michael Paoletti, Milton Joachim, Mitch Arens, Molly Manning Robertson, Pat Pascarella, Phillip Ashley, Rob Henshaw, Robbie Nicolaisen, Ryan O’Hara, Stephanie Paoletti and Ty Thames.

For more information about the event, visit sippandsavor.com.