Staff photo.
Hundreds of Homewood residents gathered to enjoy bites form restaurants across town during a past Taste of Homewood event. The annual event showcases the diverse food options available in the city.
SoHo Plaza will soon come alive with chatter and the enticing aromas of the city’s favorite bites as the Homewood Chamber of Commerce plans its 21st annual Taste of Homewood event.
Scheduled for March 13, the event will welcome hundreds of attendees to sample food and beverages from Homewood’s most popular restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and wine distributors.
“It's basically an opportunity for people to come and try the best of what Homewood has to offer,” said chamber marketing and community relations manager Mattie Kehl, “and also support local businesses.”
Kehl said the chamber usually has around 30 local restaurants and businesses participate in the event. Each participant sets up a booth in the plaza and offers selections from their menu for patrons to enjoy.
H&H Eats, the parent company of SoHo Standard, SoHo Social, and Social Taco, has been a regular participant for years and plans to return.
“Our owners, which are Taylor Hughes and Dave Horn, they want to be a part of it every time,” said H&H Eats event and marketing coordinator Bridgett Alday. “It's an opportunity for folks to go out and show off new stuff or engage with the community in a different setting, and it's also in our backyard.”
The SoHo trio often has one long table, but they make sure each restaurant is represented.
“At each table you do kind of have a unique feel to it,” said Alday. “We try to decorate according to the vibe of the restaurant, and then the offerings are always specific to the restaurants. We kind of try to make it like a meal. So a lot of times from Standard’s table, you're going to get what we consider appetizers. From Social’s table, you're going to get more like an entree and taco. You're going to get a hodgepodge mix of an entree and a dessert option.”
The Valley Hotel’s Ironwood, and their new executive chef, will also join the lineup.
“Homewood has such a wonderful collection of restaurants that really appeal to all tastes,” said Valley Hotel director of sales and marketing, Bill Dowling, “We've got everything from fast food and elegant dining to barbecue and Mexican or American traditional. I think people that are attending it will be surprised at the variety of foods that are available to them to taste.”
Ironwood has not finalized their menu for the event, but they are looking to offer a mocktail and food option this year.
Every restaurant that participates is putting their best food—or drinks—forward in hopes of earning the People’s Choice title. Patrons will have the chance to vote on their favorite with the token included with their ticket. Last year’s winners were Little Donkey, Shiki and Nori Thai and Sushi.
Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 on the day of the event. Ticket prices include unlimited samples of food and beverages, live entertainment, and more. Visit bit.ly/3W4lEpx to purchase tickets. The Homewood Star is a sponsor of the event.
