Taste of the Beach expands with business fair
Great food meets business networking.
The Greater Fort Myers Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has expanded the 16th annual Taste of the Beach event to include its annual business expo in the form of a business fair.
The dual event will be held at Bay Oaks Recreational Campus on Sunday, May 15, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It promises to be a great mix of business with pleasure.
The 2011 Taste of the Beach will feature participating restaurants, live entertainment from 1 to 5 p.m., arts & craft vendors, the waiter/waitress challenge and a Model A Club antique car show -all under the shaded mossy oaks outdoors.
As of Tuesday, 11 local restaurants have signed on to provide fare for the food-tasting portion of the event. They are: Charley’s Boathouse Grill; Big Game Waterfront Grill; Parrott Key Caribbean Grill; JoJo’s at Pink Shell; Skye’s Mexican and More; Yucatan Beach Stand; Surf Club; Doc Ford’s; Chloes at Diamondhead Beach Resort; The Fish House; and Chunky Tuna Café and Bakery. If you don’t see your favorite restaurant, urge them to participate.
National Recording Artist “Cadillac Blue” (known for their hit, “Wide Open” which is Danica Patrick’s theme song) will headline the live acts. “Free Spirit” (classic rock/contemporary music) and “Legacy of Steel” (steel pan music) are the other live groups
The business fair, inside Bay Oaks gymnasium, will offer chamber business booths, a microphone-handed emcee geared to drive traffic to each business table to help sell and promote products and services and all-day door prizes -including a Grand Prize- with a combined value of more than $1,000. The Grand Prize includes a three-day/two-night stay at Pink Shell Beach Resort, private boat tour and a “progressive dinner” on the Beach with limousine service to the restaurants.
Entry forms for door prizes can be found at the business booths. Register at the Chamber booth for the Grand Prize drawing. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite fare.
“We’ve chosen to combine Taste of the Beach and what had been the Business Expo which is now a Member Business Fair. It’s a great opportunity to be able to showcase our businesses whether its food or retail/office and give everyone a one-stop shopping extravaganza that will have entertainment, food, fun and great information about the businesses on and around Fort Myers Beach,” said FMB Chamber President John Albion. “We are very fortunate in bringing this all together at such a great location. It should be an excellent afternoon for everyone to really kick off mid-May and look forward to the remainder of the year.”
The 2010 Taste of the Beach committee moved the event back onto Estero Island and into the shade of Bay Oaks. Many Beach residents and visitors who attended last year’s Taste enjoyed the centrally located and neutral site on Oak Street.
This year’s committee is working hard to bring the extra elements into play.
“The 16th annual Taste of the Beach is shaping up to be a bigger and better event than years past,” said 2011 Chairman Steve DeAngelis, Jr. “We’ve made some great changes to the overall format, entertainment and pricing in order to make it a much friendlier event for both the restaurants involved and all the attendees. The location for the Taste of the Beach couldn’t be better, utilizing the beauty of Bay Oaks and the resources that our town has to offer in showcasing what a wonderful place Fort Myers Beach is to live and vacation on.”
Tickets for the event are $5 per person with free admission for ages 12 and under. There is plenty of close parking.
Chamber officials are encouraging business members to sign up for the fair. Call 454-7500 for more details. Prospective volunteers are also asked to call Jane at the chamber office (454-7500) to help in the cause. Got to website www.tasteoffortmyersbeach.com for more information.
There will be a meeting for participating restaurants at Bay Oaks at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 12.
Sponsors for the 2011 Taste of the Beach involve Quenzel & Associates; Nervous Nellies; Suncoast Beverages; Southern Wine & Spirits; Veolia; Clear Channel, Lee County Elections; and The Beach Observer/Bulletin as the award sponsor.