22nd Annual Taste of the Beach set for May 7
The Greater Fort Myers Beach Area Chamber of Commerce announced that the 22nd Annual Taste of the Beach will be held Sunday May 7. The popular food festival held on Fort Myers Beach will include approximately 16 restaurants plus promotional vendors and live music provided by Jo List and Friends from noon to 4 p.m. New this year will be an updated server competition and vendor village!
Local restaurants will serve up samples of their best signature dishes available for purchase. They will also be competing for the top Taste of the Beach Award honors in several categories including Best Appetizer, Best Dessert, Best Meat Dish, Best Chicken Dish, Best Seafood Dish, Best Decorated Booth, and People’s Choice. There will also be the always spirited server competition. The Festival gates will open at 11:00 a.m. and food will be served up until it runs out or until 4:00 pm. Tickets will be available on-site. Admission is $5 for adults and children over 12. All children under 12 years will be free. Food tickets are $1.00 each, with the average plate costing around $5.
The Taste of the Beach has come a long way since its inception in a field on San Carlos Island over 20 years ago. Since then, Fort Myers Beach ‘Tastes’ have been held at Gulf Waters RV Park and various locations on San Carlos Island before the Chamber moved the event to Estero Island in 2004. On the island, the Taste has been held at various locations, including the beachfront where Crescent Beach Family Park now is located, Old San Carlos Blvd and Bay Oaks Recreation Campus. In 2013 the festival was moved back to Old San Carlos Blvd., and there it has grown, successfully drawing bigger crowds and more participants each year.
This year, the Taste evolves once again with a new ‘Vendor Village’ that will be centered around a newly improved Server Competition. The Village will feature local artisans and vendors of all kinds. In addition, local performers will keep folks entertained while they shop! To sign up your business for the Vendor Village, call the Chamber at 239-454-7500.
There are many restaurants participating in this event, all of which are members of the Greater Fort Myers Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Already signed up: Yucatan Beach Stand, Parrot Key Caribbean Grill, Bootleggers Waterfront Grill, Royal Scoop, Pinchers, Castaways Bar & Grill and Nervous Nellie’s.
If you are a restaurant and wish to participate, please contact the Chamber at 239-454-7500.