Local businesses shine at Taste of Tupelo
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – At the Midas of Tupelo booth, guests at Taste of Tupelo could register for their chance to win a flat screen TV.
And at the Outback Restaurant space, team members were serving up samples of ahi tuna, grilled shrimp on barbie, grilled chicken on the barbie and our Outback special.
Outback even allowed me to help hand out some samples while attempting to talk in an Australian accent with a professional server.
Taste of Tupelo brings together nearly one hundred businesses and almost two thousand guests. It is an opportunity for the businesses to showcase their food or services, and it lets friends, customers, and potential clients sample it all.
“I think it brings people out to see, a lot of people don’t realize we are part of Eat With Us, and it reminds me of how many restaurants there are in town,” said Kristen DeVaughn, GM at The Grill at Fairpark.
“Gives us an opportunity to get out, give back to the community, meet new people, share with them Woodmen’s Mission, what we do,” said Chris Sparkman, Regional Director with Woodmen Life.
“I like being able to talk with everyone. Usually, I am in the back, but I can converse with everyone. We can show them new things we have on the menu, like lemon cheesecake,” said Ashley Johnson, of Tellini’s of Tupelo.
“I like that they have different booths and things for us to try and give an experience from places we have never been,” said Saltillo resident Taiza Marcano.
“It is all about local businesses working together, Taste of Tupelo you think food, but there are a lot of businesses here to support the community,” said Jason Weatherford, of Midas of Tupelo.
“We want to make sure we are relevant in the community and give people a sample of what we are doing,” said Spencer Exum, with Outback Steakhouse.
“It lets us see new customers, new businesses we can talk to and discuss with, gets our name out there,” said Brian Kirkman, of Five Star Breaktime Solutions.
“We like chicken and dumplings , we promote that, CDF does a great job,” said Curt McClellan, owner of Local Mobile Food Truck.
Taste of Tupelo is always a sell out for vendors and guests and has become the premiere networking event for businesses in the area.
Anyone interested in next year’s taste of tupelo should keep track of the Community Development Facebook page for registration info.
