Taste of the Finger Lakes returns for third year

Out of a desire to share the diverse local food and beverage options the Finger Lakes region has to offer, and to help fight food injustice by supporting local food systems, Taste of the Finger Lakes was born. The event, while entering only its third year, has gained immense popularity among local businesses and residents alike. 

This year’s Taste event will be the second in-person event, which organizers are excited for. Taste of the Finger Lakes officially launched in 2020 but was altered by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emma Hewitt, executive director of Taste of the Finger Lakes, said that although the pandemic did not stop an online event from happening, it will be wonderful to continue this event in person. 

“The organizers felt it was really important that we create a local event that has this dual purpose of showcasing the incredible bounty and diversity of Finger Lakes food and beverage purveyors while working to support local organizations that are aiming to end food insecurity and promote food justice,” Hewitt said. “We did a pivoted version of a virtual event called ‘Dine and Donate,’ focused around supporting local food businesses in their pandemic takeout iterations. To be able to come back together as a community to support local business and local food is very exciting.”

Hewitt added that another exciting and important piece of this event is that it is one of few industry-focused events where food and beverage services can come together in the same space. This, Hewitt said, offers them a unique opportunity to network and potentially partner together, which adds to the atmosphere of supporting local businesses. 

“Beverage makers and restaurant owners will have booths next to each other and get to network with each other. Tasting each other’s food or drinks and being together in this community is a really beautiful part of the event,” Hewitt said. “It can give them an opportunity to pair certain wines with upcoming specials or vice versa. We are happy to see folks in the industry come together.” 

Last year’s first in-person event was very successful, with 40 vendors from the region, and $26,245 raised for local nonprofit beneficiaries. This year’s beneficiaries are The Youth Farm Project, Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Healthy Food for All and the Friendship Donation Network. One hundred percent of ticket sales go to these organizations. More information about the beneficiaries can be found at https://www.tasteofthefingerlakes.com/.

These organizations heavily align with the mission of Taste of the Finger Lakes and keep the community element of the event at the forefront of their operations.

“It’s about addressing food insecurity, and there is also the food justice component, which is related but slightly different,” Hewitt said. “It’s not just about access to food, but who has access and is it access to genuinely good food, and can we be interdisciplinary? Can we bring an anti-racist lens? Can we think about environmental and social justice? How can we involve all members of the community, including young people?”

The Friendship Donation Network does what is called “food rescue,” where they partner with local restaurants, grocery stores and occasionally events, such as Taste of the Finger Lakes, to collect food that would otherwise be thrown away and then redistribute it in the community.

Creating access to healthy food is especially the mission of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier and The Youth Farm Project, both of which believe that while food access as a whole is important, access to healthy food can sometimes be overlooked, and they work to address that. The Youth Farm Project especially works hard to include young people in food and agricultural education and gets them involved with creating local and equitable food systems. 

Healthy Food for All also partners with local farmers to provide community-supported agriculture shares to low-income families, so it is supporting local farmers and supporting people in need at the same time.  According to the organization’s website, they serve around 2,000 people a week and divert 1,000 pounds of food from landfills every day.

Another important aspect of this event is that it is intended to be as low waste as possible. Attendees will be given glass tasting glasses that also serve as event favors that they get to take home, and vendors are given compostable plates and utensils to use during the event. 

“Our intention is to be as close to no waste as possible. We’re working with the Friendship Donation Network to ensure that any of the leftover food at the end of the event is donated into the community,” Hewitt said. “Across the whole event, we are trying to do right by the community and the planet. It would be difficult to talk about food justice without also thinking about the planet.” 

Hewitt said that she hopes the event will continue to grow over the years and that this year, the fundraising goal is $40,000. She said having all of the ticket sales go back into the community is mainly thanks to their local sponsors, who completely fund the event’s operations. They cover the costs of the venue rental, supplies shared with the vendors, the list continues. 

“CFCU [Community Credit Union] is our premier sponsor, and we have 12 sponsors total. Because they cover the costs of putting on the event, 100% of ticket sales go directly to the nonprofits,” Hewitt said. “We are very optimistic about this year’s event. We have 50 vendors, which is 10 more than last year, so we are excited to see the growth there.” Taste of the Finger Lakes will take place at the Ithaca Farmers Market at Steamboat Landing June 13. The main event will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. An opening reception for Full Experience ticket holders will begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.tasteofthefingerlakes.com/. Live music, photo booths, lounge areas and other non food activities will also be present.