It's time for a Taste of Kalamazoo

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, July 25, 2013

For 38 years residents of the region have been traveling to downtown Kalamazoo to sample what local restaurants have to offer during the Taste of Kalamazoo.

Lucky for food lovers, the types of restaurants and the quality of local food has continued to rise over the years.

The Taste of Kalamazoo at the Arcadia Festival Site attracts and feeds an average of 10,000 people per day in downtown Kalamazoo, totaling 25,000 to 30,000 attendees over the weekend.

This year the event, coordinated by Wayne Deering and Events Inc. and sponsored by the Kalamazoo Jaycees, features nearly 30 restaurants and 13 musical acts.

Organizers strive to provide a variety of different styles of food. Some of the selections this year include Shrimp Tostadas, Gourmet Pizza, Beef Tri-Tip Wraps, Cajun Sausage, Sirloin Burgers, Crab Rangoons, Quesadillas, Killer Tacos, Smoked Brisket Sandwiches, Blue Crab Quesadillas, Hawaiian Chicken, Catfish Nuggets, Sushi and Sashimi, Bourbon Chicken, Sunset Scampi, Gamberi and Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches.

Beverages are just as eclectic. Fest goers will find everything from beer garden microbrews to Budweiser, wine bars with bottles from nearby local wineries as well as top-shelf liquor bars stocked with Captain Morgan, Cuervo, Tanqueray, and Smirnoff. Taste also offer an extensive list of non-alcoholic beverages including delicious smoothies, healthy juices, and refreshing Coca-Cola products.

And each day celebrity judges taste and judge cook-offs featuring Taste vendors and local cooks. The contests are arranged in categories featuring seafood, poultry, beef and pork.

Tickets for a "taste" of the food offered are priced at 50 cents each. Items range in price from 50 cents to $4.

The gates open at 11 a.m. each day for lunch, dinner and late night and the festival site is open until 12:30 a.m. Thursday and 1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Admission varies based on the time of day you attend. Thursday admission is $3 at 4 p.m. and $6 at 7 p.m.; Friday is $6 at 4 p.m. and $8 at 7 p.m. and Saturday: $5 at 2 p.m. and $10 at 5 p.m.

The proceeds from the Taste of Kalamazoo benefit many local charitable organizations who volunteer and participate.

The Taste of Kalamazoo's website puts it this way: "Come down, bring your lawn chairs and laugh with the children as they playfully run through the dancing water fountains. Sample some exotic sushi, a brand new merlot, or some world-famous barbecue. Soak in some sun, forget what time it is, and chat with old friends you haven't seen in years. Watch the sun go down as another band takes the stage and makes the city pulse with life."

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Taste of Kalamazoo

Food Vendors

Africana
Bell's Brewery
Bert's Bakery
Beer & RA
Big Moe's BBQ
Camzie'sPizza
Coffee Rescue
Cold Stone Creamery
Coney Island
Central City Taphouse
Creative Catering
1858 Timeless Catering by Senior Services
Gorilla Gourmet
Great Wall
Jammin' Jerks
Jesse's Jamaican
K Street Eatery
Kalamazoo Beer Exchange
Kzoo Fish
La Cantina
La Mexicana Market
Mangia Mangia
Marta's Fine Foods
Noodles & Company
Not Jus An Almond
Q It Up
Rasa Ria
Safari African Cuisine
Sushi-ya

Entertainment Schedule
Thursday, July 25
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. The Corn Fed Girls - Heartfelt Acoustic Music
8 p.m.-9:30 p.m. The Red Sea Pedestrians - Original World Roots Music
10 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Revolution: A Tribute to the Fab Four
(Presented by The Corn Fed Girls and The Red Sea Pedestrians)
11 p.m.-12 a.m. - DJ Short-e

Friday, July 26
12 p.m.-1:30 p.m. The Mittenauts - Indie Folk
4 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Big Boss Blues - R&B / Blues
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Kingly T - Reggae / R&B
8 p.m.-9:30 p.m. The Diggity - A Funky Space Reincarnation
10 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Ultraviolet Hippopotamus - Progressive Improv
12 a.m.-1:30 a.m. Layercake Presents - Electronic DJ's

Saturday, July 27
12 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Kari Lynch Band
2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Detroit Circus - Acrobatics, Contortion, Fire, Juggling, and more!
4 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Joshua Davis Trio
6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Lowdown Brass Band - New Orleans Style Brass
8:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Quinn Sullivan - 14 year old Blues Prodigy
10 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Buddy Guy - 5 Time Grammy Winner
12 a.m.-1:30 a.m. Thornetta Davis - Detroit's Queen of the Rockin' Blues