New Date Set for Taste of Playa 2010!

After a well deserved break, the Taste of Playa Committee has gathered again with new ideas, renewed energy and a host of plans for 2010!  The date has been set and we hope you all put this on your calendar for 2010!

The magical date for this Food Festival is NOVEMBER 21, 2010.  The committee is excited about the new date and it provides us with over a year to plan a bigger and better Annual Food Sampling in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Since the September event, participants and sponsors have continued to celebrate the success of the 2009 Food Festival.  The first year event brought together over 20 community sponsors, 25 restaurants, over 3000 people, lots of fun and thousands of full stomachs. 

The restaurants did a great job of showing the world what they do best; cooking, serving and making people happy.  Local residents and visitors found Taste of Playa a great way to try a handful of restaurants that deliver great food year round. The event brought a new energy to the dining experience and left people open to new flavors and food options in the area.  With over 700 eateries in the city, the committee highlighted just a few of the options available to visitors and residents.  The 2010 event will bring more restaurants to the table, and open up the event to more people who want to share thier recipes and food ideas.  Participants and their Playa del Carmen locations are listed on the Taste of Playa website.

The overwhelming response of our community sponsors was pivitol to the success of the event.  Their support made this first year possible and a great success.  Our thanks goes to those who had faith in this new Riviera Maya Food Festival.  We continue to work with our sponsors to update and improve what was accomplished in 2009 and hope to bring a larger line up of community support to event participants.  Check out our sponsors for 2009 on the Taste of Playa webpage. 

So bookmark the webpage, www.tasteofplaya.com , join us on facebook for updates www.facebook.com/tasteofplaya and check back on the blog.  The committee is ready to start planning and wants to put Playa Del Carmen and the Riviera Maya on the food map.  A position it deserves and warrants.

Taste of Playa is a Huge Hit!

Taste of Playa 2009 was a huge success! It was a wonderful day and way more than anyone expected. By all reports, nearly 3000 people attended the festival and enjoyed the delicious culinary treats from some of the Riviera Maya’s most talented chefs and cocktails served up by popular local mixologists. There is no doubt that Taste of Playa is going to put Playa del Carmen on the map as an international food destination!

http://www.tasteofplaya.com

We have all rested up a bit after the big day, reflected on the event and poured through some excellent and invaluable feedback from guests, sponsors, participants and volunteers, all of which we will put to good use as we look ahead to Taste of Playa 2010. There are so many people responsible for the success of this event and we are going to make our best attempt to thank them all.

First, we have to thank our corporate sponsors. An event of this scope has never been attempted in Playa del Carmen and noone knew what to expect. Without their faith in the idea and the committee members to get the job done, Taste of Playa would never have gotten off the ground. The fact that so many local businesses opened their coffers in such a tight economic time goes to show that we all agree that pulling tourism back to Mexico is an endeavor that we all must support in any way we can. Our special thanks go out to Buy Playa Real Estate Advisors , BRIC International, LocoGringo.com, Luna Blue Hotel, One Stop Real Estate, North American Standards, AlterEgo Magazine, MexiGuia Directory, Thermaflex, Promomap@, Abyss Dive Center, In the Roo Online Directory, Puerto Aventuras Info, Acanto Condo-Hotel, La Rana Cansada, Carrera y Asociados, Jocks Men’s  Store, Coco’s Cat Rescue- Donated Anonymously, Sian Ka’an Condominiums, Deli Playa and Wicky’s.

http://www.tasteofplaya.com

The stars of the show at Taste of Playa 2009 were the restaurants, beverage merchants and specialty food retailers who all put their very best foot forward to show that Playa del Carmen is about more than just tacos and cerveza (although there was plenty of that on hand as well). The varied array of ingredients and preparations was truly impressive and far exceeded everyone’s expectations. If this year was any indication, Taste of Playa 2010 should be off the charts when it comes to culinary talent! For taking a chance and making this first year so amazing, we are grateful to Babes Noodles and Bar, Café Tropical, Chicago Don Jose, Ciao Gelato, Cocina 38, Diablito Cha Cha Cha, D’Light, Dirty Martini Lounge, El Asador de Manolo, El Bistro de La Tortuga, Era Ora, Fusion, Il Pescatore, KY6 Courtyard, La Cueva del Chango, La Kalaka, La Route des Vins, Los Aguaschiles, Off the Vine, The Tequila Barrel, Yaxche , Zabor, Zenzi, Dac, Novis Mexico, Velta Foods International, Picaribe and Delicia.

http://www.tasteofplaya.com

In addition to our generous sponsors and participants we have a whole slew of people who helped to make Taste of Playa a special day, on that was well attended and executed smoothly. In no particular order, we would like to thank the following individuals. Each one of these people has been integral to the success of the event and we want to show our appreciation for all their help.

http://www.tasteofplaya.com

DJ SOMOS – Leo Traverso who kept the cool tunes spinning on a hot day

Michelle Cook for creating the beautiful Taste of Playa logo

Marielle Chapoy for designing our marketing and sales brochures and creating the distinctive Taste of Playa look.

Steve Moen of Playa Maya News for creating and maintaining our gorgeous website

The staff of the Abyss Dive Center and the Hotel Tropical Casablanca for their administrative assistance and infinite patience

Russ Kelly from World Links and Julio Hernandez and Haydee Juarez from Playa Studio for creating a great video and promoting the event on The Playa del Carmen Social Club website

Ricardo del Valle Prieto of International Consulting for his invaluable guidance

Russell Granger from Carboncitos for his advice and consultation

Amelia and Jamie Cortes of Grupo MSM Alquiladora

Job Carbajal for his invaluable technical assistance on event day

Judy Long, Angela Finch and Stuart H. for documenting the event in photos and video

http://www.tasteofplaya.com

Siobhan Bowers and Richard Mason and the Ak Lu’um Community of parents and teachers

Global Services

Dave Simpson with Respondr

Ellen de Jonge

Claudia Hurtado Valenzuela

Heather Anderson

Soraya Ontiveros

Christine Loew

Alicia Meno

Andreas Matthes and Enrique Santos

Last, but by no means least, thank you to the attendees, everyone who came out to support and enjoy Taste of Playa 2009 and a special thanks to each and every volunteer who gave their time and energy to make the event day a huge success! We welcome everyone to send us your comments about this year’s event and suggestions for future festivals. This feedback is very important to us as we look ahead and start planning (already) for Taste of Playa 2010. Obviously, this is a collaborative effort on the part of many, many people; one that we hope will bring us all together again next year. Be sure to stay tuned on the Taste of Playa Facebook Page for information and updates!

Taste of Playa Tickets on Sale

The day has come and Taste of Playa Pesos are on sale!!!  Let us give you the run down on the options and opportunities for this world class event held September 5, 2009 in Parque Fundadores, Av. Juarez and 5th Ave.!!!

The first option is VIP PASSPORTS.  This option is limited so get yours this week before they are all sold out.  This is the all inclusive pass where the passport holder will be able to have one sample per table, making this a great option for those who want it all.  This will include the beer and soda/water  table so it provides you with a great opportunity to be full and educated about all the food options in Playa Del Carmen.  Price 400 pesos and this is a steal.  the benefit to the all inclusive Passport is that you will have entry into the VIP tent where Wicky’s restaurant will be serving tastes to the guests of the VIP area.  It also provides one hour of tasting with the participation restaurants before the general public arrives at 3 pm.

The second option is the pay as you go, what we have named the ‘Taste of Playa Peso’ .  This is a more economical option for those who are limited on time or budget.  Each restaurant will take Taste of Playa Pesos in payment for your taste, with each peso worth 10 MN.  This is less then 1US so again a great option for those who arrive late or just have a limited amount of time.  General admission is at 3 pm…Taste of Playa Peso holders can enter the area at this time.  if purchasing in advance, we suggest 20 Taste of Playa Pesos per person, so that you have an opportunity to sample a good number of the restaurants.

It is recommended that people purchase their VIP passports or Taste of Playa Pesos in advance at either Hotel Tropical CasaBlanca on Av. 1 between 10th and 12th street between the hours of 2 pm and 10 pm or at Luna Blue on 26th between 5th and 10th Ave.  Both places have the VIP passports until they are sold out and Taste of Playa Pesos until the 4th of September.    During the event there will be roaming sellers who will be selling the Taste of Playa Pesos only. 

This event is coming near and it has been an exciting time to get it ready and open to the public.  We thank everyone in advance for their patronage and remember, the proceeds are going to Akl’uum International school, so join in the fun!  We are all super excited…

Global Beats for an International Food Festival!

Everyone loves food festivals!  Across the globe, major cities and small towns alike, plan these community gatherings to showcase regional ingredients and the talents of local chefs. Residents look forward to these annual events and tourists often arrange travel plans around the festivities. But a good festival, one that people will return to year after year requires more than just good food. Location and atmosphere play an important role in creating an environment where guests are excited yet comfortable enough to stick around for awhile and enjoy the experience.

When we first initiated the planning process for Taste of Playa, our vision of this event was much smaller, limited to a handful of restaurants serving up their signature dishes on the grounds of a local boutique hotel to a group of invited guests. Over the past three months, the project has expanded and morphed into a full blown community celebration, open to all the residents and tourists in Playa del Carmen.

Obviously, with this change brought a host of new logistical issues from finding a suitable and sizable space, to getting permits, to accessing water and electricity. We identified and secured our location, the newly renovated Parque Fundadores and then set our minds to creating the proper atmosphere. We considered live music. The existing bandstand was the perfect venue to set up bands and rotate them throughout the day. Three months turned out NOT to be enough time to orchestrate the coordination and equipment needed for this endeavor. As we were intent on insuring a successful day for our restaurants and sponsors, we put live music on the backburner, an element to reconsider next year with more time and more help.

Just when we were giving up hope, a message came through to us from one of our committee members. A local DJ, Leo Nardo (aka DJ SOMOS) had expressed an interest in providing music during Taste of Playa. At first, a few of the us older hens were a bit sceptical. A DJ? What kind of music would he play? Would it be appropriate to the event? Would it be something that that accented the tasting experience or a distraction? Who is this DJ SOMOS? Well, it didn’t take much convincing once we heard the range of his skills and musical influences.

DJ SOMOS is a World Music DJ of Puerto Rican decent, raised in Chicago and now a resident of Playa del Carmen. He is part of a musical coalition called “Taste da Flavour”, a collective of DJ styles specializing in various downtempo, lounge, dance and party musical formats derived from an eclectic mix of musical genres, fusions and themes. “Taste da Flavour” is represented by Cultura Culture whose goal is to create, produce, market and excecute cross-promotional cultural experiences via art, music, dance and lifestyle events and productions.

This year, on September 5th 2009, DJ SOMOS will contribute his World Music experience within the cross-cultural celebration that is Taste of Playa! Just as the food will vary in flavour and ingredients, representing many countries and cultures, so too will the music. From the traditional to modern day fusions of African, Argentinean, Balkan, Brazilian, Caribbean, Indian, Latino and Mediterranean beats, the music will take us on a  journey as we taste our way across the globe on the shores of the Mexican Caribbean.

I hope you will all join us on September 5th at Parque Fundadores for a wonderful day of good food and good music. For more information about Leo and DJ SOMOS, including some sample tracks, please visit  www.wearesomos.com. For more about Taste of Playa including ticketing information, visit www.tasteofplaya.com.

 

Taste of Playa Needs Volunteers

Taste of Playa 2009 is just two weeks away and we are looking for a few good men or women to help us out on the day of the big event. We will need help selling the “Taste of Playa Pesos” and with general event support before, during and after the festival.

Volunteer benefits include an official Taste of Playa baseball cap, t-shirt and 5 Taste of Playa “pesos” good toward any of the signature dishes and beverages offered at the event. Best of all, you will meet new people, have fun and feel the satisfaction of knowing that you are contributing to your community.

For more information about the festival, visit www.TasteofPlaya.com. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Monica Hartlief via email at operations@tasteofplaya.com.

I hope to seeing you all on event day at Taste of Playa 2009!