| Who We Are |
We are the face of America! We are a diverse group of individuals from every region, every walk of life, and every ethnic background. We celebrate the community of the table and gather together to educate others, including children, around the nation. Membership is open to all, as our organization offers something for everyone. We have a strong core of values, offer innovative programs, member benefits, and unique local events. AIWF is the resource for anyone who loves to enjoy great cuisine.
The American Institute of Wine & Food is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and public charity founded on the premise that gastronomy is essential to the quality of human existence. The AIWF was established in 1981 by Robert Mondavi, Julia Child, Richard Graff and others to provide a forum for the study and enjoyment of gastronomy.
The AIWF is one of the few national organizations with the unique combination of dedicated wine and food enthusiasts and professionals. Wine and food enthusiasts get to meet and learn from renowned chefs, winemakers, authors, culinary historians, and food producers, while industry professionals have the opportunity to know and understand their core consumers. Winemaker dinners, exclusive wine tastings, gala auctions, cookbook signings, artisan food gatherings, picnics, garden tours, culinary cruises, golf tournaments, chocolate tastings, salmon fishing, BBQs - everything from black tie and gala dinners to cowboy boots and ribs.
The AIWF is dedicated to promoting health and well-being through the enjoyment of good food and drink and fellowship that comes from dining together around the table. The American Institute of Wine & Food is one of the few national organizations with the unique combination of dedicated wine and food enthusiasts and professionals. Wine and food enthusiasts get to meet and learn from renowned chefs, winemakers, authors, culinary historians, and food producers, while industry professionals have the opportunity to know and understand their core consumers.
AIWF has something for everyone! And, we do more than just have fun; our events have an educational element as well, so you can learn, taste and socialize all at the same time. Local chapters and the AIWF Foundation award culinary and enology scholarships, and over 20,000 adults and children nationwide have been reached with The AIWF signature program Days of Taste® which teaches under-served elementary school students that eating healthy tastes good.
Culinary researchers and food enthusiasts are welcome to visit the University of California, San Diego’s AIWF Collection that includes more than 6,384 volumes and is housed in the Mandeville Special Collections Library and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University - Schlesinger Library Culinary Collection that includes close to 15,000 titles. Both collections include works by Julia Child, M.F.K. Fisher, Eleanor Lowenstein and Andre Simon.
The AIWF is a sponsor of Julia Child’s Kitchen at The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. The exhibition features Julia’s actual kitchen including the cabinets, appliances, cookbooks, kitchen table, and hundreds of utensils and gadgets. The exhibition gives visitors a peek into the working kitchen of one of the world’s best known cooks, and explores how her influence as an author and host of several television series changed the way America cooks.
With a large national organization as well as local affiliate chapters in major cities across the United States you will find people who love good food and great wine where your travels take you. We welcome you to join us.
Bon Appetit!
We cordially invite you to join us!