‘We’re bosses at what we do’: Big Queer Femme Feast unites women chefs and winemakers for a celebratory night

The Boston Globe | February 24, 2026

“I almost never get to work in kitchens exclusively with women or queer women, or the queer community in general, so whenever I have the opportunity to be in these spaces, it’s something that I really cherish,” said Tatiana Rosana.

She is the regional culinary director of Peregrine and Para Mia in Boston and a two-time champion on Food Network’s TV show “Chopped.” Rosana will also be one of the featured chefs involved in a special night celebrating food and wine crafted by queer women makers.

Big Queer Femme Feast will bring together three queer women chefs and five winemakers for a three-course meal on March 1 at Nathálie Wine Bar.

Co-organized by Big Queer Food Fest and Femme Fête, the event will serve up delectable bites with wine pairings and a side of crucial visibility for the thriving queer community in Boston’s culinary sphere. And the night before, Femme Fête will host its first-ever women’s wine festival.

Last spring, Big Queer Food Fest organized a weeklong celebration of programming featuring queer chefs in Boston. The events led to The Grand Tasting, an afternoon at High Street Place where guests sampled cuisine from dozens of LGBTQIA+ chefs, brewers, distillers, and wine makers.

“Right now with what’s happening in our country, it’s really important to foster inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ+ community,” Hahne told WBUR last April.

Expanding on the organization’s work, owner of Nathálie Wine Bar Haley Fortier is hosting a new women’s wine festival called Femme Fête at Boston Center for the Arts at Cyclorama on Feb. 28.

The festival will highlight wines and beverages by all women makers and allow guests to sample drinks, chat with producers, and attend panels.

“We have about 50 wine makers from 11 different countries, which is incredible for our first year,” said Fortier. “The focus was to open up the doors for other people to experience winemakers and to really connect the dots on why it’s important to support small production projects and to support these women from all over.”

Terah Bajjalieh, founder of Terah Wine Co., helped Fortier build her list of contacts and will be pouring a selection of her wines at the festival. She was also named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 and recognized by The New York Times as one of 10 California wine producers worth getting to know. She said there’s still a lot of work to do.

“Women still represent a really small percentage of winemakers in the world, so we often have to work harder to be highlighted, and we are still fighting for better wages and better opportunities,” said Bajjalieh. “[The festival] is a great way to highlight that there are many of us that have our own businesses and have successful careers in wine.”

Femme Fête tickets are sold out. However, those interested in tasting some of the featured wines along with mouthwatering dishes can still purchase tickets to Big Queer Femme Feast.

When Big Queer Food Fest cofounder Chad Hahne heard about Femme Fête, he thought it was the perfect time for a collaboration.

Terah Bajjalieh, founder of Terah Wine Co., helped Fortier build her list of contacts and will be pouring a selection of her wines at the festival. She was also named one of Wine Enthusiast’s Future 40 and recognized by The New York Times as one of 10 California wine producers worth getting to know. She said there’s still a lot of work to do.

“Women still represent a really small percentage of winemakers in the world, so we often have to work harder to be highlighted, and we are still fighting for better wages and better opportunities,” said Bajjalieh. “[The festival] is a great way to highlight that there are many of us that have our own businesses and have successful careers in wine.”

Femme Fête tickets are sold out. However, those interested in tasting some of the featured wines along with mouthwatering dishes can still purchase tickets to Big Queer Femme Feast.

When Big Queer Food Fest cofounder Chad Hahne heard about Femme Fête, he thought it was the perfect time for a collaboration.

“Something that BQF has done in the past is work with a lot of queer women winemakers, so we know how important they are to the wine community and our queer culinary communities,” said Hahne. “ I don’t know how often there are dinners centered around queer women in both fields, so it felt like something really special, something long overdue.”

Hahne recruited Rosana, Michele Ragussis, and Mai Nguyen to dream up a menu for the night.

Ragussis, executive chef of Gedney Kitchen, will make Greek spanakopita for the appetizer.

“This is really crispy all the way around, and it’s a delicious bite, so I think it’s a good starter for the night,” said Ragussis.

Rosana will make a braised beef cheek with roasted artichokes and sumac yogurt for the main course.

She said, “Leaning into flavors that are warm and homey and bringing people together is what I wanted to focus on.”

Nguyen, corporate pastry chef for COJE restaurants, will serve focaccia and desserts.

Nathálie Wine Bar’s sister restaurant haley.henry is known for serving dishes with tin fish. As a nod to the wine bar, Nguyen made custom pink sardine tins with chocolates in the shape of sardines. She will also offer yuzu strawberry macarons and pistachio tarts.

The courses will be paired with wines by Bee Maloof, Michelle McCaw, Paula Camp, Mireia Taribo, and Tara Gomez.

The night is ultimately about sharing good food and highlighting the incredible culinary creations of queer femme chefs and winemakers in Boston.

“We’re here, we’re women, we’re killing it,” said Nguyen. “We’re bosses at what we do, and we’re here to have fun.”