Emerald Queen Casino’s Taste of Tacoma is a highlight of the summer festival season. Cuisines ranging from Caribbean to Cajun to Greek will be represented among more than 50 food booths at Point Defiance Park from June 28-30.
A new attraction this year is The Taste Cooks! It will feature chefs from some of the area’s favorite restaurants. Each day a demonstrator will showcase a variety of skills. For example, on June 28 Gil Turturici of Boathouse 19 will make the restaurant’s Dungeness crab cakes. On June 29 Adrienne Kuehl of “Tacoma Foodie” will discuss the best ways to shop for locally grown produce. Selected chefs will compete in a cooking contest in which they will be given three mystery ingredients and a small pantry of cooking staples. The audience will judge the entrees they create. Other chefs will do interactive cooking demonstrations.
Cindy Stohr is media director of Festivals Inc., which organizes Taste of Tacoma. She said that in the past few years the festival has lacked the involvement of many Tacoma chefs because they are so busy running their restaurants. This is understandable, given the popularity of waterfront establishments with decks during the summer, as well as catering obligations for weddings, high school reunions and other special events.
“It is hard for them to commit to three days of the festival,” Stohr said.
The Taste Cooks! will be emceed by Amanda Westbrooke. She is a host on CityLine, a weekly program on TV Tacoma. Each year a few festival organizers are interviewed on CityLine prior to the event, which is how they got to know Westbrooke.
“We wanted someone who is fun and familiar,” Stohr said. “She was the perfect choice.”
Sessions will begin at the top of the hour from noon to 6 p.m. on June 28-29 and noon to 5 p.m. on June 30. They will go for 45 minutes. On June 28 it will have Hudson Slater of Maxwell’s, Dustin Joseph of Art House Café, Bette Anne Curry of The Gourmet Niche and Turturici. The competition will have Kris Blondin of Stink facing Patricia Kerth of Old Milwaukee Café.
Scheduled for June 29 are Tom Pantley of Toscano’s, Turturici, Famous Dave of Famous Dave’s and Kuehl. Geoffrey Yahn of Dirty Oscar’s Annex will do a cocktail demonstration. Slater will face Aura May in the competition.
June 30 will have Slater, Chriselda Schell of Rosewood Café and Anthony Shipman of Chambers Bay Grill.
This is the fifth year the festival has joined up with Hope Heart Institute for Hope Heart Right Bite. Participating restaurants will create a healthy option. These will include grilled salmon over salad with pomegranate dressing from Blue Elephant and red Cossack potatoes with lemon parsley dill sauce from Kaleenka.
Just a Bite items will be smaller portions of popular items for $3.75 per serving. These include steamed barbeque pork bun from Delicious Asia Grill and tzatziki salad from Dancing Zorba.
Discounted meal tickets were offered in past years, but not in 2012. Stohr said many attendees last year asked for their return. They will be sold at the front of the park. A book of 20 $1 tickets will go for only $17.
Rock the Bowl is back for its second year. It will offer a taste of all the summer fun Metro Parks has to offer. Activities will include zip lines, obstacle course and art projects. It will take place in the bowl area at the entrance of the park.
Each day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. is happy hour. Save $1 on beer in the beer garden during this time, or $3 off a wine tasting starter package in the wine garden.
There will be many popular cover tune bands on the music stages. But Stohr noted there will be more singer/songwriters and indie rock bands than in the past. “There will be a different selection of bands that people will appreciate,” she said, ranging from 1980s cover tunes to new original material. “We struck that balance well.”
Stohr noted the festival is made possible by title sponsor Emerald Queen Casino and presenting sponsor BECU. “We want to thank them for their support.”
Due to limited parking at Point Defiance, attendees are encouraged to take the free shuttle busses. They will run continuously from the transit center at Tacoma Community College to Point Defiance from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on June 28-29 and from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on June 30.
Rock the Bowl
June 2811 a.m.: Hip hop dance
Noon: Woodland Folktale Theater
1 p.m.: Eatonville Dancers
2 p.m.: KC Critters
3 p.m.: Eatonville Dancers
4 p.m.: Jeff Evans
5 p.m.: KC Critters
6 p.m.: Jeff Evans
June 2911 a.m.: Animal Crackers
Noon: Jump rope show
1 p.m.: Dance 4 Dios
2 p.m.: Predators of the Heart
3 p.m.: Predators of the Heart
4 p.m.: Jump rope show
5 p.m.: Te Fare O Tamatoa
6 p.m.: Reptile Man
June 3011 a.m.: Animal Crackers
Noon: Jump rope show
1 p.m.: Animal Crackers
2 p.m.: Jeff Evans
3 p.m.: Jump rope show
4 p.m.: Jeff Evans
5 p.m.: Recess Monkey
6 p.m.: Reptile Man
Jazz stage
Sponsored by Alaska Airlines and KJR 95.7 FM
June 281 p.m.: Cara Francis, vocal jazz
2:30 p.m.: The Wicks, folk/soul
4 p.m.: Beth Whitney, indie folk/pop
5:30 p.m.: Champagne Sunday
7 p.m.: Susy Sun, indie folk/pop
June 29Noon: Paul Richardson, smooth jazz
1:30 p.m.: Edward Paul Trio, rock/pop/blues/soul
3 p.m.: Lance Randall & the Nu Jazz Playas, funk/jazz
4:30 p.m.: Geoffrey Castle, electric violinist
6 p.m.: Natalie Hames, originals and cover tunes
7:30 p.m.: Scott Lindemuth, jazz guitarist
June 30Noon: Stephanie Porter, jazz vocalist
1:30 p.m.: Stickshift Annie with Kimball & the Fugitives, blues/jazz/swing
3 p.m.: Michael Powers, jazz/blues guitarist
4:30 p.m.: Keely, soul/jazz
6 p.m.: Angelo Pizarro, Latin/pop/jazz guitarist
Bowl stage, classic rock
Sponsored by KZOK 102.5 FM
June 28Noon: Third In Line
1 p.m.: School of Rock, classic and contemporary rock
2 p.m.: Don’t Say It Ain’t Soul, R&B/soul/funk/rock
3 p.m.: Destination Unknown
4 p.m.: Insuburban Avenue, alternative rock
5 p.m.: Raucous
6 p.m.: Jessica Lynne, country
7 p.m.: Michelle Taylor & the Blues Junkies, blues/rock
8 p.m.: Tumbling Dice, Rolling Stones tribute
June 2911:30 a.m.: Blue Thunder & Soundwave
Noon: Brian Green Band, country/rock
1 p.m.: Po’okela Street Band, reggae
2 p.m.: Strangely Alright, alternative/pop
3 p.m.: Michael Anthony Pratt Band, country
4 p.m.: The Diamond Experience, Neil Diamond tribute
5 p.m.: Rural Route 3, original rock ‘n roll
6 p.m.: Jukebox Heroes, Foreigner tribute
7 p.m.: Two-Story Zori, reggae
8 p.m.: High Life, reggae
June 30Noon: Rich Wetzel’s Groovin’ Higher Orchestra, jazz
1 p.m.: Southbound, Southern rock
2 p.m.: Longstride, reggae/rock/pop
3 p.m.: Rockaraoke
4 p.m.: Tin Man, rock/country
5 p.m.: C-Leb & the Kettle Black, blues/rock
6 p.m.: Guns Of Nevada, rock ‘n roll
7 p.m.: 93 Octane, original rock
Pond stage, R&B, folk, gospel, world beat
Sponsored by BECU and Movin’ 92.5 FM
June 28Noon: Palatine Avenue, alternative/country
1 p.m.: Inside Outlaws, classic rock, top 40
2 p.m.: Innocent Bystander, indie rock
3 p.m.: Lush Tones, pop/rock
4 p.m.: Vividal, rock/funk/R&B
5 p.m.: E. Pruitt Band, instrumental R&B/funk
6 p.m.: The Good Hurt, indie pop/rock
7 p.m.: Hearts In Motion, top 40
8 p.m.: Black Market Revue, soul/R&B/funk/blues
June 29Noon: Fabulous Party Boys, funk
1 p.m.: Social Network, top 40
2 p.m.: Zarni, piano pop
3 p.m.: Sonic Funk Orchestra
4 p.m.: Imagine the Giant, rock/soul
5 p.m.: Chapter 5, funk
6 p.m.: Tip To Base, funk
7 p.m.: Radio 80, ‘80s covers
8 p.m.: Shownuff Funk
June 30Noon: Vibe Central, R&B/soul/top 40
1 p.m.: Eclectic Approach, pop/funk/rock
2 p.m.: Perry Acker, rock/pop
3 p.m.: Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme, original funk/soul
4 p.m.: Down North, alternative/soul/rock
5 p.m.: Rhythm Nation
6 p.m.: Sway, top 40
7 p.m.: Readymade Family
Comedy stage
Sponsored by 96.5 Jack FM
June 282:40 p.m.: Jerry Percio
3:40 p.m.: Andrew Rivers
4:40 p.m.: Adam Norwest
5:40 p.m.: Gabe Rutledge
June 291:40 p.m.: Rodney Sherwood
2:40 p.m.: Susan Jones
3:40 p.m.: Drew Barth
4:40 p.m.: Jerry Percio
5:40 p.m.: Adam Norwest
6:40 p.m.: Gabe Rutledge
June 301:40 p.m.: Drew Barth
2:40 p.m.: Rodney Sherwood
3:40 p.m.: Chris Alpine
4:40 p.m.: Susan Jones
5:40 p.m.: Brad Upton