Taste of Bloomington touts treats for a good cause

Each summer, in the name of community and charity, local restaurants and vendors set up camp at Showers Commons, bringing their favorite items and wait staffs to throw a bash you won't want to miss. Local bands provide ambiance, while vendors such as Oliver Winery and Upland Brewery keep spirits high. Participating restaurants remind us with the Taste of Bloomington festival that our city is a veritable microcosm of a global community.\nAs an expression of their support for the Bloomington community, vendors bring their most inventive, celebrated and delectable culinary delights for an evening of tasting, music and fun. Not only is the Taste of Bloomington about food, but it is also a celebration of volunteerism at a local level. All proceeds from ticket sales are donated to two local not-for-profit agencies, the Hoosier Hills Food Bank and the Monroe County Community Kitchen. \nEven to the most seasoned culinary palate, the Taste of Bloomington is a treat. The flavors featured at this year's festival are an intriguing blend of ethnic and hometown gustoes. Event-goers will be greeted with the collective aroma of a hundred spices and a smorgasbord display, including dishes to satisfy the resident gourmets and all-Americans alike. This year, look for Papa a la Huancaine, Asian sake shrimp and gyros. If these savory delights don't get your tastebuds revved up, perhaps pulled pork and chicken, smoked chicken and ribs, and Snicker's pie will. \nWhether you are more enticed by the aroma of ginger or a juicy filet that meets the grill awaiting its happy end in your stomach, the Taste of Bloomington is an easy way to experience the richness of a global community and channel your inner do-gooder simultaneously. Considering that your $5 price of admission to the event provides 25 nutritional meals for food bank patrons, this is one evening of tasting that has no room for shame.\nTalicia Coppock, executive director with the commission for downtown Bloomington, is impressed by the way in which people come together to make the event possible each year. "There's a very strong community spirit at the Taste. It's a good time to all come together," she says.\nChapman's Restaurant is participating in the Taste for its eighth consecutive year, bringing a selection of its celebrated pies: pecan, apple and Snicker's pie. Most of Chapman's wait staff volunteers its time to make participation in the event possible, says Steve Stutsman, general manager of Chapman's.\nThis is not about making money, Stutsman explains. Vendors pay a $250 fee to participate in the event, and sometimes vendors don't break-even. "The main thing is helping out the food banks. This is a great community event. It's a chance for us to get out in the community and help." \n"The Taste of Bloomington is a fun, very community-oriented event," says Kai Krefeldt, Deli Manager at Bloomingfoods' Encore Café. This will be Bloomingfoods and Encore Café's third year participating in the Taste. You might choose to pique your senses with their Satay chicken skewers with Thai chili sauce or exquisite chocolate mousse. \nCommunity service is a part of Bloomingfoods mission, says Krefeldt. In addition to its participation in the Taste and the Hoosier Hills Meal Share program, Bloomingfoods has established a long history of community activism, regularly contributing produce to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. "We have been involved in the food share program for many years, donating any fresh produce that's just beyond its sellable date, but still in good condition, to the food bank," says Jeff Brown, Member Services and Education Manager for Bloomingfoods. In 2003 alone, Bloomingfoods donated 29,969 pounds of produce to Hoosier Hills.\nOne upcoming event and opportunity to get involved is Bloomingfoods' Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign. "Every summer, we ask local gardeners to plant an extra row of food in their gardens and donate it to Hoosier Hills Food Bank," says Brown. Last year 7,000 pounds of the freshest produce were delivered to Hoosier Hills through the initiative. This year's goal is 10,000 pounds. \nThe partnership between the Taste of Bloomington and the Hoosier Hills Food Bank was born about 15 years ago, says Hoosier Hills Executive Director Amy Robinson. Last year's Taste of Bloomington festival raised more than $4,000 toward food bank operating costs. In organization talk, that equals 29,967 pounds of food that could be recovered from participating donors, distributed and served at any of 90 kitchen locations in six Indiana counties serviced by Hoosier Hills.\nThe numbers are staggering. Twenty-one thousand individuals in a six county area rely on the Hoosier Hills Food Bank for food each month, according to Hoosier Hills. "Last year the organization recovered and distributed 1,746,582 pounds of food," says Hoosier Hills Assistant Director, Dan Taylor. \n"I don't think people really believe or understand the difference that $1 can make," says Robinson. "Each dollar that you donate to Hoosier Hills helps the organization and its partners distribute five nutritional meals."\n"Every dollar counts," agrees Vicki Pierce, Executive Director of the Monroe County Community Kitchen. "One of the great things about the Taste is the fact that we can put the donation towards where it is needed most." In the summer, the kitchen prepares and distributes sack breakfasts to children in low-income neighborhoods who qualify for free or reduced lunches during the school year. The program ensures that these children have at least one nutritional meal per day. The money from 11 tickets sold at the Taste is enough money to feed a child breakfast for the whole summer.\nLast year the Monroe County Community Kitchen prepared and served more than 100,000 meals to Bloomington residents through its two Bloomington kitchen sites and carryout meal programs. Between all of its programs, the kitchen delivers an average of 300 meals per day. Proceeds from ticket sales at the Taste of Bloomington will be distributed equally between the Community Kitchen and Hoosier Hills Food Bank.\nThe City of Bloomington's 22nd annual Taste of Bloomington celebration will take place this Saturday, June 19 from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m. at Showers Commons (intersection of 7th and Morton streets). Tickets are $5, and food items will be priced anywhere between $.50 and $3 each. Admission is free for children under age 12. \nBands playing throughout the course of the evening are the Not Too Bad Bluegrass Band from 3 p.m. until 4 p.m., The Swell from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m., Alma Azul from 6 p.m. until 7:15 p.m., Jah Kings from 7:45 p.m. until 9 p.m. and Bahama Llama from 9:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. The Arts Fair on the Square is just two blocks away from Showers Commons by the courthouse from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission to the fair is free. \nFor more information on volunteer opportunities in Bloomington, please visit: www.bloomington.in.gov/volunteer