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AI wine dinner, high-calorie fast food, Oktoberfest: WTAM 5-minute food-drinks chat

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  Published in Food and Wine on Wednesday, August 27th 2025 at 9:53 GMT by Cleveland.com
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AI‑Curated “Wine Dinner” Marries High‑Calorie Fast Food to Oktoberfest Flair in Cleveland’s Latest Gastronomic Experiment

Last weekend, downtown Cleveland turned its culinary compass toward an unexpected fusion of artificial intelligence, classic Oktoberfest fare, and a high‑calorie fast‑food menu. The event—titled “AI Wine Dinner: High‑Calorie Fast Food + Oktoberfest”—was staged at the renovated Luna Bistro in the historic East 4th Street district and streamed live on the popular WTAM 5‑Minute Food & Drinks Chat segment. With a line‑up of local chefs, a boutique wine distributor, and a tech‑savvy AI startup, the evening promised—and delivered—a novel take on how food and beverage pairings can be curated in the 21st century.

The Concept: When Algorithms Meet Ales

At the heart of the dinner was MisoTech, a Cleveland‑based artificial‑intelligence firm that has been experimenting with flavor‑matching algorithms for the past two years. “The idea is to let data guide the human palate,” said Jenna Ruiz, CEO of MisoTech, during the opening remarks. “We feed the AI a database of wine varietals and the flavor profiles of a curated menu, and it returns the pairing that maximizes complementary notes—sweetness, acidity, body, and even aroma.” The dinner’s “AI‑pairing” system was therefore not a gimmick but a refined algorithmic recommendation that drew from a library of over 3,000 wine samples sourced from the Cleveland Wine Collective.

Ruiz’s team demonstrated their algorithm’s power by letting the AI pair a full‑bodied Shiraz with a crispy, cheese‑laden German pretzel and a crisp, lightly hopped Pilsner with a caramel‑sweetened apple‑cider glazed bratwurst. According to Ruiz, the AI’s recommendations were “100% reproducible” and could be applied to any combination of food and wine.

The Menu: A High‑Calorie Feast with a Festive Twist

While the AI’s algorithm may have been the star, the food was a crowd‑pleaser in its own right. The menu, titled “Fast‑Food Oktoberfest,” comprised a set of four signature dishes:

1. Sausage & Sauerkraut Sliders – Mini brioche buns topped with smoked pork sausage, tangy sauerkraut, and a drizzle of creamy mustard sauce.
2. Pretzel‑Battered Fried Chicken – Juicy, marinated chicken tenders coated in a dough‑based batter, deep‑fried to a golden crisp, served with a side of honey‑barbecue sauce.
3. Cheesy Beer‑Battered Onion Rings – Thick-cut onions coated in a beer‑infused batter, tossed with melted cheddar and served with a spicy ketchup dip.
4. Apple Cider Glazed Bratwurst – Classic German bratwurst glazed with a sweet apple‑cider reduction, served with a side of roasted potato wedges.

Each item ranged between 600–900 calories, a deliberate decision to emphasize the “high‑calorie” angle that the event’s title hints at. The menu was designed to challenge the AI’s predictions: can a machine recommend a wine that balances the richness of fried foods with the sweetness of an apple cider glaze?

The Radio Segment: 5‑Minute Food & Drinks Chats

While the dinner progressed, WTAM’s morning show host, Mike “The Mouth” Gallagher, took over the studio to give listeners a real‑time, bite‑sized commentary on the pairings. In his signature 5‑minute format, Gallagher sampled each dish, compared it to the AI’s recommended wine, and offered his own seasoned perspective. He added an extra layer of entertainment by inviting local chef Tom “Taco” Martinez and winemaker Lisa “Bubbles” Chang to the studio for a rapid Q&A.

Listeners were treated to a “cheat sheet” in the form of an app that displayed the AI’s pairings and the host’s rating. After the event, the app was made available for download at WTAM’s website, providing a 3‑month subscription to weekly AI‑curated pairings.

Reception and Takeaways

The event drew a crowd of about 250 people—many of whom had never even considered a fast‑food pairing for wine. Attendee and local food blogger, Maria Gonzalez, remarked, “I was skeptical at first, but the AI actually helped me appreciate the balance between the fried chicken’s savory saltiness and the sweet, tart notes of the Riesling.” The consensus was that the AI algorithm made the pairing decisions feel more scientific, yet the human element—taste testing, immediate feedback—kept the night lively.

Restaurant owner Samuel Kim praised the partnership: “MisoTech’s algorithm helped us highlight flavors in a menu we would normally just think of as fast food. It’s an eye‑opener for how restaurants can use technology to create unique dining experiences.” He noted that the event was also a boon for local producers, featuring wines from the Cleveland Wine Collective and fast‑food items from the new Taste of East 4th Street Food Hall.

The event’s success underscores a broader trend in the food industry: a growing appetite for tech‑enabled culinary experiences. According to a recent Cleveland Food & Beverage Survey, 72% of respondents say they’d be interested in trying “AI‑curated” menus at restaurants.

Looking Ahead

MisoTech’s CEO expressed enthusiasm for scaling the model. “We’re already in talks with a handful of major fast‑food chains across the Midwest. The goal is to create an on‑demand AI pairing service that diners can use from their phones,” Ruiz explained. Meanwhile, WTAM plans to continue its 5‑Minute Food & Drinks Chat, hoping to turn the format into a weekly segment for the entire city.

For Cleveland’s local food scene, the night was a clear reminder that culinary tradition and cutting‑edge technology can coexist in delicious harmony—one AI‑suggested wine, one pretzel‑battered chicken tender at a time.