Piedmont Food Fest to return April 23 for second year
PIEDMONT >> Lip-smacking foods, toe-tapping entertainment and a celebration of diversity will highlight the second annual Piedmont Food Fest, run and organized by a corps of volunteers.
“The efforts to boost diversity in town made me think of special projects,” said lead organizer Roger Tsai. “(Put together) the most diverse puzzle pieces, all in one place. I want people to come away with something memorable, create great moments for anyone of any age.”
Attendees of the event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 23 at Piedmont Park can get adventurous and sample the array of ethnic food vendors and brewers on tap. Curry Up Now Indian street food, Bonito Poke, Crazy Empanada, Ceviche and Co. Ecuadorian Bites and many more vendors will be on hand. Beverages will include selections from Two Broads Ciderworks, of San Luis Obispo; Federation Brewing, United Beer Works and Buck Wild. Nonalcoholic beverages for kids or grownups will also be available.
The entertainment will be as diverse as the food. There will be a Filipino folk dance group, Japanese Taiko drumming, an opera singer who performs in different languages, local Black musical groups and more. In all, there will be 18 food vendors, eight beer providers and four wine purveyors.
Putting on the Food Fest is no walk in the park. A core team of about 10 people starts planning it early in the year, lining up sponsors and vendors and plotting out the event. Platinum sponsors include Stacey Isaacs and Sarah Abel, along with Julie Gardner, of Compass Realty.
Piedmont Grocery sponsors the Kids Zone that will feature games, food treats and activities for kids. The Food Fest is underwritten by the Social Good Fund, a registered California nonprofit organization. Food Fest is also a registered nonprofit entity.
More than 100 volunteers lend a hand taking shifts at the event. Even with sponsorships, the stage and audio equipment, portable toilets and other expenses run about $8,000, Tsai said. About 1,500 visitors attended the event last year.
“We ran out of food last year. There will be twice as many vendors this year,” Tsai said.
A companion event to the Food Fest will be latest installment from the Appreciating Diversity Film Series at 7 p.m. April 20 in the Ellen Driscoll Playhouse at 325 Highland Ave. in Piedmont. A selection of short documentaries appropriate for ages 10 and older will highlight topics such as homelessness, gender identity, adoption, cultural identity and women's issues. The free event will be presented by the Piedmont Anti-Racism & Diversity Committee (PADC).
“We created the Piedmont Food Fest to bring our surrounding communities together in celebration of the Bay Area's diversity through food, music and art,” Tsai said.
Tsai, who works in the tech industry, said he conceived the event “coming out of the dreary period of the pandemic, to create an uplifting event that would be enjoyable for all.”