Head to Berea Saturday for "A Taste of Madison County"

Sierra Marling, Richmond Register, Ky.
·2 min read

Jul. 7—On Saturday, hungry patrons can come out to the Chestnut Street Pavilion in Berea to get "A Taste of Madison County" thanks to a new event.

Wanna Beasley, owner of Soulful Creation, organized the event to give people exposure to the different offerings available all around Madison County. She based the idea off of a food festival she used to attend called "A Taste of Chicago."

She was also trying to give vendors who could not attend local events such as Richmond's "Tasty Tuesdays" since they do not work out of food trucks.

"My idea was to get most of the people that are cooking in their homes, or farmers, and bakers, and butchers and stuff like that to actually come out and be a part of this," Beasley explained. "That was my whole goal with this thing, and I'm hoping everyone is going have fun and enjoy themselves and get to meet the people who's actually out there cooking."

She said she reached out to businesses individually and invited them to participate in the event.

The event will have cooking demonstrations, live music, and many food vendors to experience.

The cooking demonstrations will begin at 4:15 p.m. with a vegan demonstration from Cal Schweitzer, a culinary student at Sullivan University. Schweitzer will be preparing a vegan peach and grain salad.

Then, Chef Bristen Dial and his assistant chef, Jessica Faulhaber, will create a three-part meal, including bruschetta, homemade pasta with marina sauce, and tiramisu for dessert. The pair are experienced instructors, as they teach cooking classes in Lexington under their business La Bonne Vie.

Patrons will be able to listen to music from DJ Timbre from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and The New Developments from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Beasley also said there will be an eating contest at 5:30 p.m. For a $5 entry fee, people can test their skills to see who can eat the most spaghetti in one minute. The winner will receive a trophy and be named "Madison County True Foodie."

"Most people do hot dogs or pies, and I'm like, 'Nah, let's do spaghetti noodles.' That'll be hilarious," she remarked.

The event will be at 635 Chestnut St. in Berea from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be additional parking at U.S. Bank and Pizza Hut.