The spirit of Julia Child will be alive and well at The Taste of WGBH Food & Wine Festival starting on Thursday and continuing throughout Columbus Day weekend. Inspired by the beloved host of WGBH’s legendary The French Chef, planners have created an event that mirrors her culinary aesthetic: international but hyper-local, sophisticated but down to earth—and most of all, enriching good fun.

“A lot of the chefs who participate really have an affinity for WGBH because of Julia Child,” says Liz Hagyard, senior event producer.

Yes, the festival is about delectable food and eclectic wine. But it’s also about Boston, culture and education. Great food brings people together, unites communities, celebrates the seasons and, most importantly, helps reinforce local culture and traditions.

In its quest to showcase Boston’s multicultural riches, WGBH solicited advice from about 50 local community associations, from the World Lebanese Cultural Union to the North American Indian Center of Boston.

“We are really trying to make sure that the cuisine from each culture is authentic and endorsed by people who would know best,” says Hagyard.

Activities over four days highlight diverse traditions, seasonal produce, sophisticated pairings and more. Hard craft cider will make its first appearance, served to the tune of live Celtic music performances hosted by WGBH’s Brian O’Donovan of A Celtic Sojourn fame.

The festival is really four events in one, with each event involving 20 to 25 chefs: The Chef’s Gala hosted by Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on opening night; Artisan Taste with 27,000 square feet of sips and bites; Brunch Bar, tantalizing dishes prepared by more than 100 vendors; and Food Fight, 20 chefs competing in 10 categories.

For the chefs, the WGBH festival—now in its eighth year—allows them to stay abreast of food trends and connect with Boston’s thriving “foodie” culture.

Manita Bunnagitkarn of Cha Yen Thai Cookery in Watertown is participating for the fourth year in a row.

“I like to watch the new food trends—like using local ingredients” she says.

For Erin Miller, chef and owner of Urban Hearth in Cambridge, it’s the connection with tasters.

“This is the only festival I do,” she says. “Some food festivals are a free-for-all. At WGBH, we get people that really want to talk about each element on the plate—why we did what we did, where the food comes from.”

Miller is someone to watch this year—last year she won the prestigious Culinary Stewardship Competition with her roasted spaghetti squash topped with fresh ricotta, hakurei turnip, mint, hazelnut praline and biquinho peppers.

Hagyard’s team pulls off a mind-boggling amount of detail. She keeps track with six over-sized binders, multiple spreadsheets and countless Post-it Notes. Just a few numbers hint at the scope of logistics:

  • More than 300 volunteers will be on site, including student sous chefs from the Cambridge Culinary School.
  • About 500 pounds of ice are delivered before each event.
  • About 35 WGBH staff are on hand, including production, events, membership, operations, lighting and facilities.

“The festival gives you a taste of WGBH’s raison d’etre—to educate, inform, inspire and entertain—it does all those things across the course of one weekend,” says Hagyard.

Get the details and buy your tickets here.