San Angelo has Taste

Tuesday night, Sept. 10, 2013, hundreds of San Angeloans dined out at the 1st Community Credit Union Spur Arena for the Taste of San Angelo.

Taste of San Angelo is an annual festival organized by the San Angelo Restaurant Association.

 “I had immense fun! And the food was great!” said Toni Simmons enthusiastically.

Her son was working the booth for Chili’s, so Toni and her daughter-in-law Stephanie were there to support both him and the culinary students from Central High School.

“Anytime you see this many people, you know it’s for a good cause,” she said while gesturing at the crowd.

Local restaurants Zero 1 Ale House and Concho’s Downtown are relatively new to the area and felt it was a great way to introduce their culinary delights to a greater part of the community.

“We came out to meet current and future customers and get our name out there,” said Jimmy Howard, Managing Partner of Concho’s Downtown, as he handed out their fresh lime margaritas.

Elizabeth Hull, a bartender for downtown’s Zero 1 Ale House was astounded at the success their booth brought.

“We have had a lot of people come back for seconds,” she said, her voice laced with excitement. “We will definitely be back next year!”

Central High School Culinary Students were scurrying about preparing and serving their own delicacies.

Juniors Zach Kuykandall and Clay Daniel from Central expressed awe and gratitude towards the City of San Angelo for the support, “It’s crazy to see how many people showed up,” said Daniel.

Kuykandall explained the importance of the program, “It’s a great way for students to get introduced to the field without the expense of culinary schools.”

It also doesn’t hurt that knowing how to cook a mean jalapeno popper really impresses the ladies.

According to event organizer, Taste of San Angelo in 2013 attracted 1,150 attendees who sampled food from 40 vendors. The event raised $24,000 for culinary students.