Taste of Bloomington

Bloomington is known around the state of Indiana as a cornucopia of progressive public policy, sustainability-minded citizenry, nature-loving recreation, the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival and the home of Indiana University among others. \nBut Bloomington might never taste so good to so many people as the city will this weekend. \nHoosiers of all mishmashes are invited to attend the 24th Annual Taste of Bloomington from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Showers Commons, 7th and Morton St., next to City Hall. About 40 local restaurants, cafes and watering holes will offer community members a hodgepodge of local cuisine and brew to tickle the mind, titillate the belly and tantalize the soul.\n"The Taste of Bloomington promotes a festival atmosphere in the downtown area and it highlights the types of restaurants the city offers," said Bloomington resident Talisha Coppock, executive director of Downtown Bloomington Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the revitalization of the city center. "It's kind of a once in a lifetime experience while people are here in Bloomington. You really get to know the Bloomington community through this event."\nCommunity Heart\nAbout half of the 40 food vendors represented at the Taste of Bloomington this year are first timers, and the local and national-chain restaurants present at the event will offer a wide variety of local, national and international edible treats from finger foods to sandwiches to slices of pizza pie. Community members can also sample an array of sugary beverages, coffee drinks, beer and wine.\nBloomington resident Ron Stanhouse, president of the Bloomington Area Restaurant Association and a member of "The Taste" organizing committee, said one of the most enjoyable aspects of the Taste of Bloomington is the laid-back environment and peaceful Southern-Indiana pace of both visitors and businesses. \n"In the local restaurant business it's all about getting through the spring school semester with a crescendo during graduation weekend. After that we get a break," he said. "Business isn't slow but it's a different kind of activity level -- steady and predictable. The Taste of Bloomington is a great time to catch our breath and have a lot of fun."\nStanhouse said an added bonus to interactive customer service during the Taste of Bloomington is the opportunity for local business owners to mingle amongst themselves, an activity they often do not have a chance to do because of the hectic nature of the food service business. He said the lack of menu items at the event, when compared to the daily menu offerings back at their respective restaurants, enables the restaurant staff to better focus on the customers and to really stress the fun aspects of their jobs.\n"Many times the atmosphere of a high volume restaurant, especially behind closed doors, is high stress and high pace. You don't see the competition for the customer dollar like you might expect in the newspaper ads shouting for attention," Stanhouse said. "You don't get that at the Taste of Bloomington. It's fun, casual and everyone is having a good time sampling the foods. Maybe the customers will think that is the way all the restaurants in town are."\nTickets to the Taste of Bloomington cost $5 per person, all food items are priced at $3 or less and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Hoosier Hills Food Bank and the Community Kitchen of Monroe County. Children under 12 can attend for free.\nCommunity Spirit\nAlso known around Southern Indiana as "The Taste," Coppock said community members often consider the event a chance to reunite with old friends and an excuse to meet new friends in the heart of downtown Bloomington. She said an array of wonderful eateries and taverns call Bloomington home, and "The Taste" is a great opportunity for new businesses to sample their foods and established restaurants to market new menu items.\nCommunity members attending the international feast and local merrymaking can also expect to hear the melodic and soothing sounds of five local bands from beginning to end. Other entertainment and often the highlight of community spirit during the event is the Waiter/Waitress Race scheduled from 4 to 4:30 p.m. \nAbout a dozen teams consisting of four waiters and waitresses from the same local restaurants are expected to participate in the Waiter/Waitress Race, in which individual team members must balance a tray containing goblets of water as they weave through an obstacle course of cones without spilling the glassware off the tray. \nStanhouse, who is owner of the local Crazy Horse restaurant, said his team of community member servers trains for the Waiter/Waitress Race every night during work after they clock-in for their shift. \n"At the Crazy Horse there are some long distances for servers to travel. From one end of the restaurant to the patio is quite a long way to go and occasionally we have a casualty -- a drink that didn't stay on the tray," he said. "It takes a little bit of luck mixed with steady hands, gape of walk and turning angle. It's all about how they balance their tray. It comes down to the wrist."\nStanhouse said the decimal level of "The Taste" crowd rackets up from a murmur to a roar during the Waiter/Waitress Race due to screaming spectators, hollering team members and the yelling of a play-by-play commentator. He said a fast lap through the obstacle course is similar to walking a balance beam: too much concentration can be bad.\n"It's fun to watch the eyes of the participants and to wonder 'what the heck are they focusing on," Stanhouse said. "Certainly they are focusing on the tray, but there are plenty of distractions there … Whether (the Crazy Horse) team wins or loses, we just want to have fun doing it."\nCommunity Soul\nMore than 6,500 community members are expected to attend "The Taste" this weekend, helping to make Saturday the biggest shopping day in downtown Bloomington all year. Hoosiers are also invited to attend the local Farmers Market from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Showers Plaza, before perusing the 26th Annual Art Fair on the Square from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the lawn of the downtown courthouse. \nCommunity members can mingle with about 40 Farmers Market vendors and browse about 30 art and craft booths before, during or after visiting "The Taste." More than 500 volunteers \nand other city staff are charged with running Saturday's events in the hope of putting Bloomington's best foot forward.\nJeff Baird, volunteer chairman for the Taste of Bloomington, said volunteers consist of community members from all walks of life: from young and old to students and professional people.\n"These people are all taking their free time to donate to do this work, which is a wonderful thing," he said. "It gives you a good feeling to help other people. You get to work and have fun. You meet a lot of people that way."\nBaird said community members, especially students, who have never attended "The Taste" should not feel intimidated about attending any of the Bloomington events in downtown this weekend. He said most any one, including students, are welcome to volunteer their time and services to help make "The Taste" a statewide snacking destination similar to the taste of Chicago event.\n"We welcome students and I think they will have a great time," Baird said. "It's like any other 'taste' in any other city. It's essentially an outdoor festival. A lot of people go and meet people and see people they don't usually see everyday"