Taste! Central Florida Goes Totally Local August 19
By Kelly Green for Edible Orlando on March 2, 2017
Edible Orlando has long been a proud supporter of Taste of The Nation, a food and wine benefit held at Orlando World Center Marriott. Proceeds have impacted thousands of lives both locally and around the country. This year, organizers are making a change that means an even greater impact on the hungry right here in Central Florida by giving all local at the newly re-branded TASTE! Central Florida.
LOCAL EVENT. LOCAL CHEFS. LOCAL CAUSE.
Guests enjoy bite-sized samples, but never fear. Seconds (and thirds) are par for the course.
Saturday, August 19, 2017 from 6:45 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. event-goers will enjoy what they’ve come to expect: creative and culinary offerings from some of the top chefs/restaurants in the area, plus beer, wine and specially-crafted libations. What will change is the distribution of funds. In previous years, a portion of the proceeds was disseminated to anti-hunger efforts nationally, as hunger reaches every corner of our nation. Organizers have decided to further pinpoint the direction this year by advocating more directly for those in our neighboring communities struggling to put food on their plates. TASTE! Central Florida is one of the largest fundraisers of the year for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida.
Orlando World Center Marriott went retro in 2016 with diner-inspired gourmet bites.
Special Features
In addition to indulging in the bountiful, fun, and creative food and drink options available, they’re not the only offerings. Guests can participate in a fully-automated mobile silent auction featuring signed memorabilia, stays at upscale hotels, dining experiences, rounds of golf on area courses, and exotic adventures and getaways.
Taste! Central Florida is also bringing back the Giving Tree, where guests can win certificates and gift cards to Orlando’s most popular establishments. Donate $50 for the chance to select envelopes hanging from a towering tree. Prizes range from $25 to $300 in value.
Wine lovers will enjoy the Instant Wine Cellar game where participants have a chance to win more than 150 bottles of wine valued at more than $2,500!
Guests can also take their chances on winning a bottle of wine with a Ring Toss For Wine fundraiser. When a ring lands around a bottle neck, the guest wins a bottle of wine to take home.
Tickets
Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased here. Hurry: Use the code KICKOFFORL through March 14, 2017 and get 25 percent off.
Press Release
DISCOVER A TASTE WHAT’S TO COME FOR LOCAL CHILDHOOD HUNGER RELIEF AT THE NEW TASTE! CENTRAL FLORIDA
ORLANDO, FLA. (March 1, 2017) – The region’s premier food and beverage tasting event, Taste! Central Florida is bringing a supremely delicious culinary experience to our community, for our community, with a positively local flavor.
An evening featuring talented local chefs, signature dishes and specialty drinks, Taste! Central Florida is the same annual culinary event guests have come to know and love, returning this year with a new look and name and a completely local focus.
For the first time, Taste! Central Florida will be a truly local event with 100 percent of proceeds remaining in the community.
In Central Florida, the fastest growing segment of the hungry and homeless population is families with children.
“Childhood hunger touches thousands of residents in Central Florida, and Taste! Central Florida wants to direct every dollar we raise to those who need it in our own community,” said Michele Byington, co-chair for Taste! Central Florida.
The launch of Taste! Central Florida makes that possible while continuing to build on the critical work of battling hunger and food insecurity in our region that longtime local beneficiaries Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida do as the leading nonprofits in the region for fighting childhood hunger and providing homeless services.
As a volunteer-driven event, Taste! Central Florida is one of the largest fundraisers of the year for Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, thanks to the local chefs, brewers and distilleries who donate their time, talent and creations, an all-volunteer steering committee, more than 300 day-of event volunteers, in-kind support from a variety of local business partners, and the backing of Orlando World Center Marriott who donates the event space.
Beyond its local charitable focus, Taste! Central Florida will tap into the local foodie culture by showcasing an extensive lineup of local celebrity chefs and eateries and highlighting local farmers, food purveyors, brewers and distilleries through samples and sips of gourmet fare, fine wines, craft beers, and signature spirits.
While the new Taste! Central Florida has cooked up a feast of changes to this year’s culinary fundraiser, the proven event format will remain unchanged.
Taste! Central Florida will continue to attract some of the most sought-after and respected chefs, eateries and mixologists in the region. The event will also return to the same elegant location at the Orlando World Center Marriott.
In addition, Taste! Central Florida will delights guests with many of the hallmark entertainment and fundraising games guests anticipate each year.
The automated mobile silent auction will once again feature signed memorabilia, stays at upscale hotels, dining experiences, rounds of golf on area courses, and exotic adventures and getaways.
The Giving Tree will invite guests to win a taste of Orlando’s most popular establishments. For a donation, guests can select envelopes hanging from a towering tree containing dining and beverage gift certificates.
The event’s ever-popular Instant Wine Cellar game will offer participants a chance to win more than 150 bottles of wine from an exquisite wine cellar valued at more than $2,500. “The same enthusiastic and devoted event planning committee is at the helm as well as the volunteers who helped make last year’s event a success,” Byington said. “Guests will be able to enjoy Taste! Central Florida as they have always known it.”
Last year’s event attracted more than 3,000 guests and is expected to grow in attendance with its transition to Taste! Central Florida.
The funds raised by Taste! Central Florida will help Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, where families make up 63 percent of their residents. The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida provides shelter and services to more than 150 children and their families each night and serves more than 250,000 meals each year.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida will direct the funds raised from Taste! Central Florida to childhood hunger relief programs at their agency. The largest food bank in Florida, Second Harvest Food Bank collects, stores and distributes donated food to more than 550 feeding partners in six Central Florida counties including Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia. Of all the clients served by Second Harvest Food Bank, 27 percent are children under the age of 18.
WHEN
Saturday, August 19, 2017
6:45 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
WHERE
Orlando World Center Marriott
8701 World Center Dr., Orlando
TICKETS
$150 each
CURRENT TICKET PROMOTION
Use code KICKOFFORL for 25% off
Valid 3/1 - 3/14/17
ATTIRE
Cocktail / Semi-Formal
BENEFICIARIES
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida
MEDIA CONTACT:
Krista Zilizi Logue
kristazilizi@hotmail.com
407-620-5799