Taste of Wayne slated for Oct. 14
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on September 26, 2017 5:50 AM
Wayne County, get your taste buds ready for a variety of tantalizing foods at the 27th annual Taste of Wayne.
The event is a fundraiser for United Way of Wayne County, and has been a long time coming as last year's Taste had to be canceled due to Hurricane Matthew.
Before that, it had to be postponed only once, and that was after 9/11.
"The reason we do it is that it is a fundraiser to offset some of the giving that the community does," said United Way's community engagement director Patty Graham. "It's an idea that we came up with many years ago. It was mainly because no one else was doing a food event at that time. It's a way for the community to invest in United Way."
The Taste of Wayne will be held Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the 200 block of Center Street in front of City Hall.
It will feature foods from several local restaurants and businesses in Wayne County.
A ticket gets you a taste of foods from all of the vendors.
"In past years, we've had anything from steak to smoothies and ice cream to home cooking and breakfast items," Ms. Graham said. "You name it, we have it."
One business that has participated in the Taste of Wayne every year since it opened in Goldsboro in 2013 is Great Harvest Bread Co.
"We were invited to enter," said one of the owners, Melissa Taylor. "We're usually invited every year."
She said the business usually has breads and cookies at the event and usually wins one or both of the categories it enters.
"It's a great way to get our products out there," Ms. Taylor said. "It's fun. It's in the fall. It's usually a beautiful day.
"We love the community, and we love being part of it. I know lots of communities have these, but I think ours is great. There are a lot of good restaurants. It gives you a chance to find out about some businesses that you wouldn't know about."
Ms. Taylor said it's just a happy atmosphere that day.
"And who doesn't love food?" she said. "You really do get a lot for your money."
And Ms. Taylor likes the idea of it being a fundraiser for United Way.
A new business entering the Taste of Wayne this year is Tropical Smoothie Cafe, which just opened in Goldsboro.
"We are new in town, and we wanted a platform where we could show what kind of products we have," said owner Vandita Desai.
"We are health-based. We're going to have a lot of information on what kinds of vitamins and supplements we offer and how they help you. This will be an event that we can come to to introduce ourselves."
Tropical Smoothie Cafe will have smoothie samples at the event. Not just any smoothies, but healthy ones.
"We only use fresh fruits," Ms. Desai said. "We don't use any syrups. There are a bunch of supplements in them, like a multivitamin, oats, flaxseed. Our smoothies usually come with raw sugar, but if people have a sugar issue, we can use Splenda or make one without any sweetener. There are a lot of good nutrients in the smoothies."
In addition to sampling foods at the Taste of Wayne, children attending with a ticketed parent will also be able to visit the Kid Zone, which will feature a slide, a bouncy house, face painting and some fun activities just for kids.
Ms. Graham said there is room for 26 vendors at the event. Anyone wanting to participate can call United Way at 919-735-3591 or email to [email protected].
"People should come because there's a variety of different types of food," she said. "It might be a restaurant you haven't attended and you can sample some of their wares and find out about the restaurant. But the best reason to come is to support United Way."
Tickets are $15 and free for children 6 and younger. They are available at the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce, at the United Way office or online at Tasteofwaynecounty.org. Or you can purchase tickets at the event.
This year's United Way campaign began the middle of August and runs through the end of December. The goal is $1,117,250, which will help 22,345 local people.