Hungry for a taste Food festival returns with emphasis on local establishments By: Eva Wasney Posted: 6:00 PM CDT Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024

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This article was published 31/10/2024 (676 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Organizers of a forthcoming food festival say they’re doing more than reheating a beloved concept.

The Manitoba Restaurant & Foodservices Association announced this week plans to bring back A Taste of Manitoba next summer. The multi-day outdoor food festival is set to take place at Fort Gibraltar over the Labour Day long weekend, from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, 2025.

The event will feature food and drink sampling menus from 35 local restaurants and 10 local food trucks — emphasis on local.

“It’s about encompassing everything that our industry is about: food, fun, entertainment, lasting impressions, memorable experiences. All those things are what Taste of Manitoba was in the past, but we’ve taken it to an entirely new level with the strictly local focus,” says Shaun Jeffrey, the association’s executive director and CEO.

“You’re not going to see chain restaurants, you’re not going to see Budweiser.”

A Taste of Manitoba — also previously organized by the restaurant association — ran annually from 1988 to 2004 every July in Memorial Park.

The inaugural four-day festival saw two dozen restaurants serving mini versions of menu items ranging from lasagna to smoked goldeye, according to Free Press coverage at the time.

Food and beverage cost between 50 cents and $3 and the event was billed as an affordable dining experience for the public.

At its peak, A Taste of Manitoba had grown to a weeklong affair that attracted more than 30,000 visitors. The festival was cancelled in 2005 due to financial viability. Organizers at the time said profitability had been impacted by rising fees from the city for licences, permits and street closures, as well as for temporary on-site services, such as running water and waste removal.

A Taste of Manitoba returned in 2013 for a one-off event at Red River Exhibition Park.

The decision to host the new iteration at Fort Gibraltar came down to amenities and the ability to expand into Whittier Park in the future, if needed, Jeffrey says.

Fort Gibraltar has washroom facilities, a kitchen, an indoor conference area, access to plumbing, electrical and natural gas, along with parking, Jeffrey says.

“You won’t have to park six blocks away and walk.”

The event will have a similar format: free admission and tickets available for purchase, which can be redeemed for food and drinks at the vendor stalls. Each establishment will offer three items ranging in portion size from small bites to more substantial mains and desserts.

Participants will be selected by the restaurant association’s organizing committee, with first choice given to existing members.

“We’ve got to find ways to help our industry recover from some of the detriments we faced over the (pandemic).”–Shaun Jeffrey

The goal is to highlight a range of cuisines and locales, Jeffrey says.

“We’re looking at having at least 10 to 15 per cent of the restaurant participants be from outside the Perimeter,” he says, adding the committee is looking to bring in vendors from as far away as Churchill.

“We really want to make sure this is a taste of Manitoba, not just a taste of Winnipeg.”

Jeffrey was previously involved in A Taste of Manitoba as an organizer and a participant representing Red Lobster, his then-employer. While the event gave diners a chance to sample a variety of food, it also acted as an informal convention for restaurant workers.

“It was just a great time to meet new people … and really highlight the benefits and fun atmosphere of working in the hospitality environment,” he says.

The return of the event follows the restaurant association’s recent foray into other food festivals. In September, the group hosted Between the Buns, a rival burger festival that took a significant bite out of Le Burger Week’s local participation.

“We’ve got to find ways to help our industry recover from some of the detriments we faced over the (pandemic),” Jeffrey says.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

X: @evawasney