EDMONDS — Foodies flocked to Taste Edmonds on Friday to sample the local cuisine in a lively three-day festival.
The Edmonds Chamber of Commerce’s annual event featured food and drinks from local restaurants and food trucks, as well as live music, mini golf, cornhole, axe throwing and bouncy houses.
The event draws large crowds every year, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights.
The focal point was the featured chefs tent, which highlighted several of Edmonds’ culinary heavy-hitters. Notable names included Shubert Ho, the mastermind behind several popular restaurants like Bar Dojo and Fire and the Feast, Ethan Stowell, who represented his new The Victor Tavern, and Jose Garzón, whose four restaurant brands blend and twist Latin flavors.
Garzón has local roots, having graduated from the culinary arts program at Edmonds College.
Jose Garzon cooks up vegetable soba saltado at Taste Edmonds on Friday in Edmonds. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“We’re really connected with the community here, and they always receive us with open arms,” he said. “We’re really stoked to be back.”
His vegetable soba saltado was a bestseller last year, and he’s prepared for a similar reception this time around.
Food trucks and booths posted near the entrance offered even more options, like tacos, sushi burritos, and dumplings.
Art Varela’s first stop? Alaska Weathervane Scallops.
Pan-seared Alaskan weathervane scallops at Taste Edmonds on Friday in Edmonds. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“These are the best scallops in the world, and I was in the seafood business for 40 years,” he said.
He’s been coming to the Taste since 1992, and returns to support local restaurants.
“It’s just a great place to come and enjoy Edmonds, see people you haven’t seen in a while and enjoy some good food and drink,” Varela said.
The beer garden was complete with a stage and full slate of local performers.
“It gets wild, especially on Friday night. That gets rowdy,” The Victor Tavern chef Brandon Karow said.
Brandon Carow from The Victor Tavern cooks up burger at Taste Edmonds on Friday in Edmonds. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
While Ethan Stowell Restaurants was present last year, Victor Tavern opened this spring. This was its debut at Taste Edmonds.
“There’s a really hyper-local aspect to it,” another tavern employee Phia McDonell said. “It really feels like a very community-focused event, which is exciting and awesome.”
Connor Zamora: 425-339-3037; connor.zamora@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @cgzamora02.
Know before you go:
Taste Edmonds is open 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Patrons 21 and older can buy tickets online for $25 per day. That price rises to $32 in person.
Guests aged 5 to 20 cost $10 per day.
A full list of vendors and entertainers can be found here.
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