Taste of Bloomington gives local businesses exposure

Forty-six Bloomington restaurants will be serving up their tastiest dishes to large crowds this weekend at the 31st annual Taste of Bloomington.

Locals and visitors will sample items from the variety of cuisine offered in Bloomington from 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday in the Showers Commons at City Hall.

“No other Indiana city has this kind of selection of restaurants,” Crazy Horse owner and event organizer Ron Stanhouse said.

This mid-summer food festival is one of Bloomington’s biggest events for local restaurants, especially for newer businesses eager to expose their menus to the public.

This is true for the owners of The Big Cheeze, a local food truck specializing in gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, which debuted itself at the Taste of Bloomington last summer.

“It was pretty crazy and nerve-racking because we had never had to deal with such a big crowd,” co-owner and IU graduate Chad Sutor said. “But we got a lot of press after that and compliments around town. It was a great experience for sure.”

Now one year into business, The Big Cheeze truck, parked on Kirkwood Avenue at late hours of the night, is recognized by some as a staple of Bloomington nightlife.

It is known for seven signature grilled cheeses, such as the “Cheesy F Baby,” complete with buffalo chicken and provolone cheese, but the truck also makes customized sandwiches to order.

“We can make a sandwich with just about anything you want,” Sutor said. “Some guy brought us Cheetos one time. We are down to do whatever as long as you pay for it and eat it.”

At the Taste this weekend, The Big Cheeze will be making its best-selling “Mac Daddy” sandwich, stuffed with mac and cheese, as well as one of its new items, the Fajita Grilled Cheese.

Serving up cheesy treats until 3 a.m. right outside the bars has been a hit with IU students, Sutor explained, but he hopes to reach a broader audience at this year’s Taste.

“We kind of just ran witwh the college IU market because that’s who responded to us, but we want to branch out more to Bloomington locals and communicate with them,” he said.

Sutor said The Big Cheeze served around 400 sandwiches last year and is planning for about 700 this weekend, and it won’t be making any of the food until the day of the event.

He doesn’t anticipate this to be a challenge, despite operating a two-person kitchen in the truck.

“Since we are only doing two sandwiches, it’ll be easier than when people order at the truck,” Sutor said. “But I remember from last year, I don’t think I looked up from the grill once.”

With one Taste of Bloomington under its belt, The Big Cheeze is excited to return.
Others’ positive testimonials have encouraged other restaurants like Chomp to enter the festival this year.

Chomp, a burger restaurant located on Dunn Street, recently celebrated one year of business.

Chomp is one of few restaurants that make their signature burgers with meat fresh from local farms and produce only from the Midwest.

Attendees will be able to sample Chomp’s burgers and fresh-cut fries at the Taste of Bloomington.

On the menu are five burgers including the “Cream and Crimson”, the “Fire Chomp” and the “Bacon and Bleu Chomp”, along with the restaurant’s veggie burger and barbecue burger. Chomp’s fresh hummus and salsa will also be provided for the crowd to sample.

The small restaurant, adorned with ketchup and mustard-colored walls, has seen a lot of growth this past year, according to Front-of-House Manager Addison Blyeth, especially with the IU student market.

Chomp hopes the Taste will get its name out in the community even more.

“Sales would go up weekly, but that has kind of been cut off with the students gone,” Blyeth said. “We want to stay on the scene and attract more local people, and the Taste is a great way to do that this summer.”

Like The Big Cheeze, Chomp has a small kitchen to work with, which Chef Dante Decanini said is “cozy because everything is within reaching distance.”

Decanini said they aren’t nervous for the large crowds they will be serving, but they are gradually preparing for the big day.

“I made 12 batches of hummus today instead of our usual one batch,” he said. “On Friday, we are going to be patting about 1,000 burger patties for Saturday.”

Though unsure what to expect Saturday, Chomp is prepared with double staff and enthusiasm.

“Chomp’s food is so good because it is all local, made with love and served with joy and happiness,” Chomp server Amber Keel said.

Feel-good foods, such as mini burgers and mac-and-cheese-stuffed sandwiches, name just a couple of the hundreds of dishes that will be served and enjoyed at the Taste of Bloomington.

The community tradition promises to continue its delicious legacy this weekend.

“The Taste is a local event — and it feels authentic and local,” Stanhouse said. “You’ll see your friends, your friends’ friends and people you think look familiar. Everyone is enjoying the music, food and people. It’s just Bloomington at its best on a nice summer day.”