By Naomi Hofferber
Curries of Masala simmered just around the block from grilled Americana food from Bo-James Thursday night.
Foods of all flavors and varieties from more than 40 downtown restaurants came together with the community at the annual Taste of Iowa City.
Taste of Iowa City was initially designed 10 years ago as an event to welcome international students, but it has grown into something more, said Betsy Potter, the director of operations for the Downtown District.
Nodo co-owner Josh Silver applauds the effect the event has on the community.
“It just brings people out; you get people who don’t come downtown to try out each restaurant,” he said. “We get an influx of students each year, transfer students who might not be familiar with the area who get to taste everything, check out what the scene is.”
University of Iowa students with student IDs were offered five free tickets for the event at a booth on the Pedestrian Mall. Community members could purchase a unit of five tickets for $1.
Typically, food items from the various stands cost anywhere from one ticket to five. Food ranged from frozen yogurt, doughnuts, hot dogs and street tacos.
Hundreds of people flooded the Ped Mall and sidewalks of Dubuque, Washington, Linn, and Clinton Streets. For local businesses, the event provides an opportunity to gain notice. The people at El Patrón address a Mexican restaurant that opened in July, hope this event will help get its name out into the community.
“This is just us trying to reach out to the community, get in the spotlight a little bit more,” said Dan Sorenson, an employee of El Patrón. “Our tacos are quite affordable compared to what most people are charging for plates, and we’re kind of doing that on purpose, just to get the name out there.”
While the event provides local restaurants an opportunity to display their fare, there remains a large focus on community, with stands in the Ped Mall providing information about Iowa City, including the local government and transportation options.
“It’s a good community-bonding thing — having people get out, meet each other, enjoy some really good food, have a good time, enjoy the weather,” said Lauren Rasor, an employee of Molly’s Cupcakes.
She said she believes community members being introduced to local businesses is important.
“It’s kind of the finale to the summer,” said Bread Garden employee Anne Peterson. “It’s a pretty simple event to just throw a couple tables out. We make all of our food here fresh, so it’s a really good way to promote that. It’s easy for people to just come down grab a little bite; it makes a good impression.”