Second annual Restaurant Week to begin Friday
To the editor:
The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau is hosting the second annual Restaurant Week this October to strengthen our agri-tourism assets and shine a light on the culinary opportunities available here to locals and visitors alike. Restaurant Week is scheduled for Oct. 11-20 and will highlight restaurants that serve locally sourced products and engage in sustainable business practices.
The VCB will be marketing local chefs and special menus at participating restaurants and hosting several culinary experiences during the 10-day celebration, which we hope will encourage all local tourism businesses to feature culinary partnerships in their marketing plans.
The movement endeavors to connect consumers with the source of their produce and seafood, adding a greater sense of responsibility on the local growers and fisheries. During the event, selected area restaurants will offer three-course, prix-fixe meals. In addition, wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, tours and cooking classes will enhance this epicurean week. Farmers will offer an array of organic or hydroponic vegetables and showcase how those products are used locally in food and drinks.
Tourism, agriculture and shrimping are the top industries in the region, so it’s natural to encourage residents and visitors to care about protecting the area’s natural resources and the philosophy of “from farm to table.”
Restaurant Week details are available at www.TasteDeliciousLee.com. About a dozen ticketed culinary experiences are being offered, hotels are offering deals to visitors who also book a reservation at the hotel restaurant and more than two dozen restaurants have signed up to participate. The VCB is aggressively marketing the event with an anticipated reach of more than 23 million people. It’s not too late for restaurants to sign up!
The VCB continues to work hard to encourage sustainability in the tourism industry, and Restaurant Week is another opportunity to showcase local businesses that are protecting our local environment and instituting sustainability practices in their daily operations. I look forward to enjoying good food and fun culinary experiences during Restaurant Week, and hope you will do the same.
Tamara Pigott
Executive Director
Lee County VCB