"Festival food" usually means corn dogs and elephant ears.
But at the annual Taste of Kalamazoo it means such diverse dishes as blueberry crisp, sushi, curry, whitefish tacos and many, many more options.
"We really want to have a diverse variety that really represents the area and as many different kinds of cuisine as we can," organizer Wayne Deering says. "You're able to come down and get something you might think is traditional for a festival, like ribs, but you also could get sushi."
This year's festival, July 26-28, will include returning favorites like Blue Dolphin, Q-it-up and Coney Island as well as new options such as authentic sausages, sauerkraut and pates from Marta's Fine Foods, jerk and cajun flavors from KStreet Eatery and teas and iced coffees from Tudor House Tea & Spice.
New vendor Henderson Castle will provide both food and entertainment, Deering says, with a castle backdrop, pig roast, fencing demonstrations and characters in medieval costume.
The organizers strive to represent and appeal to the diversity of Kalamazoo with food and entertainment.
"For Taste, we really try to get a big variety of different kinds of entertainment," says Paul Toth, the festival's entertainment director. "We want a little bit of everything to represent Kalamazoo and all the great music that's available there. We do a fair amount of local acts as well as some larger acts."
Vicky Kettner, community relations director for Downtown Kalamazoo Incorporated, which manages the festival site, says Taste of Kalamazoo draws visitors from as far as Grand Rapids and Indiana.
"It's bringing new people into the community and exposing them to the area and everything else that it has to offer," Kettner says. "What happens is that we're able to feature the diversity of the Kalamazoo dining experience, especially when our downtown restaurants are involved.
"When Wayne is able to pair up entertainment and food, it really positions the festival to showcase downtown Kalamazoo as a dining destination."
Toth also stressed the diversity of the festival and the community.
"I really enjoy it because it's a really diverse festival," Toth says. "There are 30 plus restaurants represented and all kinds of cuisine available. It's really representative of what Kalamazoo is -- a terrific community that's very diverse and very strong."
For more information, visit the event's
website.
Writer: Fran Wilcox, Second Wave Media
Sources: Wayne Deering, organizer, Taste of Kalamazoo
Paul Toth, entertainment director, Taste of Kalamazoo
Vicky Kettner, community relations director, Downtown Kalamazoo Incorporated