ALL OVER TOWN
Sanford’s Taste & Sip feeds guests — and those who need it most
Raise your glass! Sip and stroll! Savor and sample!
These are the calls to arms for foodies around the metro as a flurry of outdoor eating events begins to crowd the calendars — many for a cause.
Taste & Sip Sanford, (noon-4 p.m. Sanford Civic Center April 20) this year in its second go-round benefiting The Picnic Project, is one of them.
It was going on 15 years ago when chef Mark Thompson was working at a downtown Sanford haunt called Two Blondes & A Shrimp (these days, it’s The Breezeway). Thompson, a veteran of Txokos Basque Kitchen, Spanish River Grille, Dandelion Communitea Cafe and more had been around in his career serving the community, but it was at this venue, where public access to the back door was easy, that saw him recognize that there was a larger one out there to be served.
“A lot of nights, folks who were unhoused would stop by and ask if we had any food left over or anything they could eat because they were hungry,” Thompson told the Orlando Sentinel. “We had leftovers a lot of times, and it really gave us an awareness of an issue that was all around us, but we hadn’t really seen.”
From there, they’d make burritos and sandwiches, going out into the community to make friends and have conversations over food. Eventually, they began hosting community meals for 70 to 100 people at Sanford’s Centennial Park.
“We never meant to start a nonprofit,” Thompson says of he and Picnic Project co-founder Ryan Bozeman, but before long the pair — who at that point were visiting homeless camps, city parks, abandoned buildings and elsewhere to feed new friends — did exactly that.
The Picnic Project lives at the intersection of food insecurity and community health, says Thompson. Its evolution since 2009 has seen the organization welcome a broad range of people into its circle. They still do community meals. “Dignity is a huge part of what we do,” he notes of this very specific name for their events. “We don’t want anybody to feel shame for having to eat the food we’re sharing.” But they have expanded the circle.
“The unhoused population is about 15 percent of what we see. Right now, we work the most with struggling families, people who are food-insecure or precariously housed, meaning that the vast majority of their income goes toward rent or mortgage, and they don’t have much left over, if anything, for food.”
The money raised at events like Taste & Sip goes toward continuing the mission, covering food, truck maintenance and fuel and overhead, which includes rent on their space. Thompson and Bozeman are its only two staffers. The rest are volunteers.
“The majority of what we spend money on is food, and we are able to really stretch that money because of partnerships with places like Second Harvest Food Bank, which is where we get the majority of it,” Thompson explains, noting that through this connection, they can purchase frozen meat for 19 cents a pound. “We work with Bishops’ Storehouse and other food banks and local farms, too, gleaning directly from their fields.”
Just last year, The Picnic Project gave out more than 50,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. Volunteers sort and pack the items for ease of pickup, and weekly distributions see visitors grabbing provisions for themselves and their families; at each one, a minimum of five produce items are available.
“We encourage them to take them all,” says Thompson, who’d likely encourage those at Taste & Sip to do the same with the spread on hand.
For $50 (general admission) or $75 (VIP, which includes five complimentary raffle tickets, VIP-only seating, plus swag in the form of a T-shirt, sticker and mug), participants can sample eats from more than 22 local, independent vendors including names like Alex’s Fresh Kitchen, The Tennessee Truffle and Red Panda
Noodle, plus exclusives like Midway’s own Annie D’s Soul Food, a catering-only favorite not generally available to the general public.
“Each station’s offering will be paired with a beverage from (mostly) local independent brewers,” Thompson notes. Glutenfree and vegan options will be available, as well as alcohol-free Orlando City Kombucha and a cash bar featuring spirits from Sanford’s Loggerhead Distillery. “Proceeds from the bar will go to The Picnic Project, as well.”
For tickets, more information and a roster of participating businesses, visit givebutter.com/ Taste2024.
Want more event options? Read on for a staggering of such. Different dates. Different dishes. Different organizations
at their centers. But each is a delicious opportunity to enjoy local eats while spreading love to organizations in need.
BREWS AROUND THE ZOO, CENTRAL FLORIDA ZOO & BOTANICAL GARDENS, SANFORD
More than 30 craft beers will be pouring — wine and seltzers, too — at the zoo’s most popular adult-focused evening event.
Presented by Wayne Densch, Inc., this 21-and-older soiree is one of the zoo’s biggest fundraisers, supporting its mission of animal conservation and community education. Tickets are $50 for general admission, which offers access to 15 beer stations, wine samples and live music. Food will be available for
purchase, but new this year, a Tasting Trail pass ($25) allows guests to sample five Brews-exclusive dishes.
Early admission tickets ($99) allow for 4 p.m. entry and come with access to the Brews Around the Zoo Tasting Trail and a Brews Around the Zoo light-up mug.
For $150, VIP Tickets include all the benefits of general admission, plus early 4 p.m. entry, as well as access to the Private VIP Zone, Private VIP restrooms, exclusive cocktails and food menu, Brews Around the Zoo light-up mug and complimentary VIP Parking.
Featured breweries include beloved locals like Sanford Brewing Company, Wops Hops and Central 28 Beer Co., as well as Florida favorites 3 Daughters Brewing, Tampa Bay Brewing and many more, all to be enjoyed amid wild encounters with some of the zoo’s more than 300 animal residents.
“We’re thrilled to welcome back Brews Around the Zoo for another year of beer, fun and wildlife,” said zoo CEO Richard E. Glover Jr. in a news release. “This event not only is a great evening of entertainment but also allows us to raise awareness and support for the important conservation work we do here at the zoo.”
5-9 p.m. April 13; tickets available at centralfloridazoo.org
CORKS & FORKS, VENUE AT LAKE LILY, MAITLAND
This year’s Corks & Forks, the fourth such foodand-wine event benefiting the historic Venue on Lake Lily, has a tagline this year … and a little bit country, a nice nod to this year’s live entertainment, which will feature popular local band Jill’s Cashbox along with its usual roster of dishes from myriad local chefs and fine wine, spirits and beer with which to pair it.
Founded and funded in the ’60s by individual members, the Maitland Civic Center has long been the star around which much of the town’s cultural solar system revolves. Now known as the Venue on Lake Lily, Corks & Forks helps ensure the space will continue on in its mission to serve the community.
In ways most delicious, in fact.
This year’s culinary participants include award-winners such as Luke’s Kitchen + Bar, The Pinery, Francesco’s Ristorante & Pizzeria, The Tap Room at Dubsdread and many, many more. Sweets from beloved locals, including Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream and the Maitland Chocolate Factory, will also pair nicely with the adult beverages on hand.
Tickets range in price from $65 for general admission to $125 for VIP club and early access. Sponsorships and corporate/family tables are also available. More restaurants are yet to be announced, but you’ll find the current roster at corksandforksmaitland .com.
“The Venue on Lake Lily continues to evolve and become increasingly important as a place where memories are made,” said Venue president Renee Charlin in a news release. “And in keeping with our goal to be even more fun this year, we have added … and a little bit country! What can be more fun than an exciting ‘classy country’ festival-like party with old and new friends while contributing to our mission and the charities we support.”