BIG TASTE BITES THE DUST

Calgary Downtown Association cuts popular March foodie festival

A popular late winter foodie festival is no more. The Calgary Downtown Association has cancelled The Big Taste YYC, which usually runs for a week every March. Each year, more than 90 restaurants in and near the city’ score present prix-fixe menus for lunch, dinner, happy hour and gourmet dinners.

But the association’s new executive director, Marco De Iaco, said the group is embarking on a new strategic direction.

“We, as an organization, have a very clear mission to rejuvenate downtown Calgary. We feel we need to do things differently, so we have to be very disciplined in the short term, and unfortunately that means stopping some things we’ve been doing.”

De Iaco, who took on the executive director role three weeks ago, said everything the organization is involved in is being evaluated. He wouldn’t say if other events would be cut, but suggested they may focus on fewer but larger initiatives. He said they needed to focus more on “opportunities that will move the needle.”

“We want to make sure we’ re a leader, and get the best return on our investment, and attract a diverse audience to downtown.”

The Big Taste YYC had a setback earlier this year when it lost its exclusive partner, the B.C. Wine Institute. It voluntarily stepped back to avoid controversy after the Alberta government announced a boycott on B.C. wines in response to the B.C. government’s decision to stall progress on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.