Tag Archives: taste of tacoma

Come See me at the Taste of Tacoma!

This weekend, June 28-30, is the Taste of Tacoma, the largest annual food festival in the South Sound. I wrote about the changes the festival has made this year, including healthier and lower priced options, the integration of food trucks, and The Taste Cooks!, a cooking stage featuring Tacoma chefs and food experts, hosted by Amanda Westbrooke of TV Tacoma.

I’ll be one of those folks on the cooking stage on Saturday, June 29 from 3-3:45. I’d love for you to come see me! I’ll be talking about Tacoma Foodie, my cooking blog, A Big Mouthful,  what it’s like to be a food writer, as well as how to shop the farmers market, and then doing a cooking demo with local ingredients from the farmers market. On the menu is a smoked salmon, asparagus and goat cheese pasta and a shaved zucchini salad.

Check out the full schedule of chef cooking demos, as well as the Chef Cook-Off! following my demo at 4 on Saturday. The contestants, Chef Hudson Slater of Maxwell’s, and Aura Mae, known as “The Kitchen Beautician”, will be cooking from mystery ingredients in a battle similar to Chopped or Iron Chef. Other demos include Tom Pantley of Toscanos, Gil Turturici of Boathouse 19, Kris Blondin of STINK, Geoffrey Yahn of Dirty Oscar’s Annex and more. It should be a good time.

I worked hand-in-hand with the organizers of the Taste of Tacoma this year to try to get the festival to be a little more Tacoma, a little more local. The changes they’ve made seem to be in the right direction. It’s not perfect yet by any means, but it’s good to see Tacoma restaurants be involved in the Taste Cooks! portion, as well as the healthier and lower priced items available from the vendors.

If you haven’t been to the Taste of Tacoma in the last few years, it’s worth a revisit. For more about the changes to the festival this year, read my article on NorthwestMilitary.com.

Hope to see you Saturday!

June Food Events

June Food Events
  • Pouring Picasso
    Multiple dates in June, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Paint while you drink Washington wines. One glass of wine is provided, as well as all the supplies and instruction for your art piece. Held at the Art House Cafe. Tickets are $40. Purchase tickets here.
  • Bayview School of Cooking Classes
    June 3, 6-8:30 p.m. Barb’s BBQ Soul Cuisine. Learn how to make beef brisket, baby back ribs and more. $45 per person. Call 360-754-1448 to reserve.
    June 6, 9-11 a.m., 1-3 p.m. Learn to cook with onions in all kinds of ways. Free. Call 360-754-1448 to reserve.
    June 6, 6-8:30 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres for Outdoor Entertaining. $45/person. Call 360-754-1448 to reserve.
    June 22, 6-8:30 p.m. No-Li Brewery Dinner. Five beers paired with food courses. $65/person. Call 360-754-1448 to reserve.
    June 24, 6-8:30 p.m. Gluten Free Italian. Learn to make gluten free Italian favorites. $45/person. Call 360-754-1448 to reserve.
    June 27, 6-8:30 p.m. Grilling with Barry “CB” Martin. $45/person. Call 360-754-1448 to reserve.
  • Tea Experience
    June 1, 10 a.m. Teas of Samoa. Asia Pacific Cultural Center. Call 253-383-3900 for reservations.
    June 6, 10 a.m. Indian Chai teas. Asia Pacific Cultural Center. Call 253-383-3900 for reservations.
  • DeLille Cellars Wine Dinner
    June 12, 7 p.m. Doyenne wines by DeLille Cellars paired with five courses at Pacific Grill. Tickets are $75 (includes tax) and are limited. Call 253-627-3535 to reserve.
  • Morso Wine Dinner
    June 20, 6:30 p.m. Wines from Produttori del Barbaresco paired with Piedmontese dishes at Morso Wine Bar. Tickets are $100/person, excluding gratuity and tax. Call 253-530-3463 for tickets.
  • Meeker Days
    June 21-23. Friday noon-9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Downtown Puyallup in Pioneer Park. Lots of food vendors, entertainment and more. Free.
  • Brew Five Three
    June 22, 1 p.m.-10 p.m. There will be more than 35 Washington State brewers, as well as local food trucks and live music. On Broadway between 9th and 11th. Tickets $5 (designated driver), $25 advance and $30 regular. Includes 8 tasting tokens and collectible tasting glass. Buy tickets here.
  • Wine & Roses: Support the Greater Metro Parks Foundation
    June 22, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. An elegant evening in the rose gardens at Point Defiance Park. Live music, wines and beer, appetizers and an auction to support Great Metro Parks Foundation. Tickets are $100/general, $125/VIP, and can be purchased here.
  • Cheers to Cheese and Beer
    June 26, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at My Cheese Shoppe in Puyallup. My Cheese Shoppe and Puyallup River Alehouse will educate you on beer and cheese and how to pair them. Enjoy pours of Puyallup River Brewing’s beers paired with specialty cheeses. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased here.
  • Taste of Tacoma
    June 28-30, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tons of food vendors, as well as The Taste Cooks!, with cooking demonstrations by local chefs and culinary experts, as well as a Taste Cook Off! with local chefs competing with three mystery ingredients. All events are free.
  • Chef Dinner
    June 30, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Chef dinner at Adriatic Grill. $65 per person, tax and gratuity included. Call 253-475-6000 for reservations.