Taste of Cincinnati facts for kids
The Taste of Cincinnati is a super fun food festival in the United States! It's the longest-running food event of its kind. Every year, around Memorial Day weekend, people gather in Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.
The festival started way back in 1979. It features more than 40 amazing restaurants. They even give out "Best of Taste" awards each year for the best dishes! Besides all the yummy food, you can enjoy live music. There are four stages with different kinds of music, like country, rock, pop, and jazz. About 500,000 people visit the Taste of Cincinnati every year. This makes it one of the biggest street festivals in the country!
Contents
History of the Festival
The idea for the Taste of Cincinnati came from a similar event called "Taste of the Big Apple News." Karen Maier, who worked for Frisch's, read about it in a food magazine. She thought it would be a great idea for Cincinnati.
The first Taste of Cincinnati happened in 1979. It was just a one-day festival in Piatt Park. About 5,000 people came to enjoy the food. In 1981, they added a second day to the fun. Then, in 1988, a third day was added. Now, the festival always lasts for three days! Around that time, the festival also moved from Piatt Park to Central Parkway in Downtown Cincinnati.
In 2007, a big area called Tyler Davidson Fountain Square was updated. After that, the Taste of Cincinnati moved again. It moved to Fifth Street, taking up six city blocks. This new spot was close to many hotels in Downtown Cincinnati.
In 1997, the Taste of Cincinnati won a special award. It was named the "Food Event of the Year" by Events Business News. This was a big honor, chosen from over 40,000 events across the U.S.
In recent years, the festival has been held along five blocks of Fifth Street. It stretches from Vine Street to Sycamore Street. In 2020, the festival couldn't happen in person. Instead, they held a special online version!
Best of Taste Awards
Every year, restaurants can enter their dishes into the "Best of Taste" competition. This is a big part of the Taste of Cincinnati festival. There are different groups, or categories, for the food entries.
Some of the categories include:
- Appetizers
- Soups and Salads
- Seafood
- Entrees (main dishes)
- Vegetarian Entree
- Desserts
There's also a special award called the "Best Damn Dish." This is the top prize for the overall best dish in the whole competition! For most categories, three dishes win awards: "Best of Taste," "Award of Excellence," and "Award of Merit." Restaurants that win these awards often proudly show off their certificates.
Recent Award Winners
Let's look at some of the winners from past years!
2015 Winners
- Best Appetizer:
- 1st Place: The 'wich on Sycamore - Coconut & Rice Soup
- Best Entrée:
- 1st Place: The Melting Pot - Teriyaki Sirloin
- Best Dessert:
- 1st Place: Market Street Grille - Creme Brulee
- Best Vegetarian:
- 1st Place: Bangkok Bistro - Vegetable Sukiyaki
- Best Go Vibrant Healthy Dining:
- 1st Place: Market Street Grille - Spicy Chicken Wrap
2012 Winners
- Appetizers:
- Best of Taste: Strasse Haus, Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Soups/Salads:
- Best of Taste: du jours/Courtyard Cafe, Hunter's Home Turkey Chili
- Seafood:
- Best of Taste: Arloi Dee Thai Bistro, Crab & Shrimp Dumpling with Noodle
- Entrees:
- Best of Taste: Andy's Mediterranean Grille, Gyro Wrap
- Vegetarian Entree:
- Best of Taste: du jours/Courtyard Cafe, Black Bean Burrito
- Desserts:
- Best of Taste: ZZ's Pizza Company, Banana Cream pie
- Best Damn Dish 2012:
- Arloi Dee Thai Bistro, Crab & Shrimp Dumpling with Noodle
