ST. LOUIS — Taste of St. Louis is coming back to downtown this fall.
5 On Your Side podcast Abby Eats St. Louis got a first bite of the details from the guys behind the biggest local food festival. After canceling last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said they’re ready to bring back the event, albeit slightly smaller than normal.
The 2021 event will be held at Ballpark Village the weekend of Sept. 24-26. The star of the show will be the food.
“Coming out of a year of not being able to do Taste we collectively decided let's not overthink Taste,” Taste of St. Louis event producer Dustin Rowe explained to Abby Llorico on the recent podcast episode. “At the end of the day, a concert at Busch Stadium is all about who's headlining, right? Our headliner is 26 restaurants, you know, it's all about them this year.”
The food and drink booths and entertainment stage will be located on the north side of Ballpark Village in the parking lot right by Sports and Social. The event layout continues on the other side of Sports and Social in the Together Credit Union Plaza, which is right across the street from Busch Stadium. The large seating area will have plenty of picnic tables, chairs and umbrellas for shade, along with a stage for live music.
Safety also was a huge factor in being able to put on this year’s event.
“Out of all the venues in town, these guys have taken it very seriously,” Rowe said of Ballpark Village. “They have the city's ears. They have their blessing. And I think that's really what's going to make it a very successful event is the safety factor, very family friendly, and you're going to see the greatest restaurants in town.”
The lineup of restaurants is still to be determined; applications are going out soon. The 26 open slots are fewer than the 40 restaurants that participated during Taste’s return-to-downtown event in 2019. Organizers said they feel this number is the right way to go.
“I wouldn't call it downsizing; I call it right-sizing,” said Taste of St. Louis co-owner Kyle Vogt.
No matter the size, St. Louis is hungry for the event to return. A simple post on Facebook sparked speculation and excitement from foodies in the Lou. Vogt and Rowe said they were shocked by the response.
“So, we're just like I think we forgot even as people that produce stuff like this, what this stuff means to people,” Rowe said.
The Taste of St. Louis organizers gave the Abby Eats podcast team exclusive first details about what kinds of restaurants we could see, how they were able to put on this year’s event and why it was so important to bring the city’s premiere food festival back. To hear more information and the full conversation, check out the Abby Eats St. Louis podcast episode called “Exclusive first bite: Taste of St. Louis.” The podcast is available for free on all major platforms.
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About the Abby Eats St. Louis podcast
The Abby Eats St. Louis podcast tells the story of St. Louis based on what’s on the table. From the hunger for local ingredients, to the booming brunch scene and the craving for creative cocktails, Abby dives into the nitty-gritty of how St. Louis grew to become the foodie town that it is.
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