Winners of Taste of Cincinnati® Best of Taste awards, new features and new partnerships for the 40th annual Memorial Day weekend festival have been announced.
Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, is partnering with Taste of Cincinnati as the event’s presenting sponsor.
“As an energetic supporter of culinary development, Kroger is proud to begin a long-term collaboration with Taste of Cincinnati, the nation’s longest running free culinary arts festival,” said Margaret McClure, vice president of Merchandising for Kroger local stores.
“Kroger serves our community through food inspiration, and we’re proud to partner with a true Taste of Cincinnati,” added Brendon Cull, senior vice president and COO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.
Taste of Cincinnati, presented by Kroger and produced by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, will be held May 26-28 on Fifth Street from Main to Sentinel Street to the ramps of I-71 and Columbia Parkway. 33 restaurants and 18 food trucks will participate, and more than 250 menu items will be available.
“49 percent of all Taste of Cincinnati restaurants and food trucks are owned by minorities, women or immigrants,” said Cynthia Oxley, director of the event. “While there is still much work to be done, the diversity at Taste of Cincinnati shows that Cincinnati is making strides as a welcoming and inclusive region.”
Additionally, Taste of Cincinnati is partnering with Independent Mobility Services to provide greater accessibility for people with mobility issues. Power wheelchair rentals will be available at Fourth and Broadway Streets for $15/hour.
Taste of Cincinnati will open at 11 a.m. all three days. Taste of Cincinnati 2017 enjoyed a record-tying crowd of more than 550,000.
2018 Best of Taste Awards
Mystery judges visited Taste of Cincinnati’s April 19 food truck preview on Second Street, and friends of Taste of Cincinnati and local media partners gathered at Findlay Kitchen, April 30, to choose the 2018 Taste of Cincinnati Best of Taste winners and runners-up.
Food Truck Best Dessert
Third Place: Hungry Bros. – Fried Cheesecake
Second Place: Marty’s Waffles – Belgian Sugar Waffle with fresh sliced strawberries and whipped cream
First Place: SugarSnap! – “Make it a Sundae” Brownie
Food Truck Best Appetizer
Third Place: Best Thing Smokin’ – Smoked Pulled Pork Sliders
Second Place: Red Sesame – Mini Quesadilla
First Place: Adena’s Beefstroll – The Stroll
Food Truck Best Soup-Salad-Side
Third Place: Hungry Bros. – The Kevin Bacon Ranch
Second Place: Wicked Hickory – Brisket Mac
First Place: Packhouse – Jalapeno Mac & Cheese
Food Truck Best go Vibrant!*
Third Place: streetpops – Pineapple Strawberry Swirl Streetpop
Second Place: Hungry Bros. – Chicken Schwarma Slider
First Place: streetpops – Pineapple Passionfruit Streetpop
*go Vibrant! menu items adhere to the American Heart Association per-serving standards of 6.5 grams or less of total fat, 1 gram or less of saturated fat, a half gram or less of trans fat, 20 milligrams or less of cholesterol, and 480 milligrams or less of sodium.
Food Truck Best Entrée
Third Place: Empanadas Aqui – Bad Girl Empanada
Second Place: Slice Slice Baby – Ballpark Sausage Pizza
First Place: Adena’s Beefstroll – Ma’s Meatball Sub
Restaurant Best Dessert
Tied for Third Place: Pompilios – Tiramisu Cannoli
McCormick & Schmick’s – Cinnamon and Sugar Shubert Roll
Second Place: Market Street Grille – Crème Brulee
First Place: Alfio’s Buon Cibo – Chocolate Raspberry Tiramisu
Restaurant Best Appetizer
Third Place: Market Street Grille – Crab Cake
Second Place: Thai Taste – Crab Rangoon
First Place: Island Frydays – Jerk Chicken Pasta
Restaurant Best Soup-Salad-Side
Third Place: McCormick & Schmick’s – Watermelon Gazpacho
Tied for Second Place: Market Street Grille – Sidewinder Fries
Delicio – Pepperoni Pasta Salad
First Place: Tickle Pickle – Mac & Cheese with crushed BBQ Grippo’s
Restaurant Best go Vibrant!*
Third Place: Tickle Pickle – Black Bean Burger
Second Place: Market Street Grille – Spicy Chicken Wrap
First Place: Silver Ladle – Silver Ladle Salad
Restaurant Best Entrée
Third Place: Tickle Pickle – Jalapeno Jam Burger
Second Place: Island Frydays – Caribbean BBQ Wings with Yellow Rice and Mixed Vegetables
First Place: Alfio’s Buon Cibo – Veal Short Rib Ravioli
NEW ENTERTAINMENT AT TASTE OF CINCINNATI
50 bands and entertainers will perform throughout the weekend on five stages. Here’s some of what’s new:
- Art of the Piano @ Taste of Cincinnati – Students from Cincinnati’s Art of the Piano Festival will perform Saturday, May 26 at noon on the main stage. Launched in 2011, Art of the Piano is an energized showcase of piano’s future and current classical “rock stars.” Created and led by world renowned pianist, Awadagin Pratt, Art of the Piano will take place at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, May 26-June 16, 2018.
- The Cincinnati Pops Poptet @ Taste of Cincinnati – The Cincinnati Pops’ celebrated rhythm ensemble will play standards and showtunes, Sunday, May 27, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on the main stage. The Cincinnati Pops is under the direction of John Morris Russell and presents a diverse array of musical styles, all bathed in the world-renowned “Cincinnati Sound.” The Pops was officially founded in 1977 with the late Erich Kunzel, and just since 1980, the Orchestra has sold ten million recordings around the globe.
- Music Bash @ Taste of Cincinnati – The world’s greatest party band, The B-52’s (“Love Shack,” “Rock Lobster,” “Roam”) and Grammy winning singer, songwriter, and musician Rick Springfield (“Jesse’s Girl,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers”) will co-headline the first ever Music Bash at Taste of Cincinnati® along with special guest Loverboy (“Turn Me Loose,” “Working for the Weekend,” Lovin’ Every Minute of It”). This fun, can’t-miss concert is scheduled for Sunday, May 27, beginning at 5 p.m. at Sentinel and Culvert Streets. Gates for this ticketed event will open at 4 p.m. Concert ends by 10:45 p.m. Tickets for the Music Bash at Taste of Cincinnati are now on sale via TasteofCincinnati.com for $29.99 plus fees.
TASTE OF CINCINNATI RETURNING FAVORITES
- Taste of Findlay Market – Cincinnati’s Findlay Market, Ohio’s oldest surviving municipal market house, will again have a home away from home inside Taste of Cincinnati. Taste of Findlay Market, on the Fifth Street ramp to I-71, will exclusively feature rotating food vendors from Findlay Market and “foodpreneurs” from Findlay Kitchen, serving delicious fresh-prepared “bites”, throughout the weekend. Since 2013, the Cincinnati Chamber has donated $80,000 to support culinary and entrepreneurial growth, not only at Findlay Kitchen – but at Cincinnati State’s Midwest Culinary Institute. The Chamber will continue its support of local culinary entrepreneurs with a 2018 donation to the Findlay Market FoodPreneur Fund.
- Taste of Cincinnati Signature Cocktail – Taste of Cincinnati will again offer a signature cocktail in a commemorative Taste of Cincinnati glass. Details TBA.
- Saluting U.S. Military Veterans on Memorial Day – As Taste of Cincinnati takes place on Memorial Day weekend, the festival is afforded the opportunity to thank the nearly 200,000 U.S. Veterans in Greater Cincinnati. As in years past, Taste of Cincinnati will commemorate Memorial Day, Monday May 28, with an honor guard procession at noon on Fountain Square, and a free Pepsi for all veterans and active-duty military.
- go Vibrant Veggie Races return – The go Vibrant Veggie Races return the Friday before Taste of Cincinnati. Celebrity teams will compete, racing miniature vehicles crafted and constructed out of fresh vegetables. The go Vibrant Veggie Races will be held May 25 at noon.
The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber grows the vibrancy and economic prosperity of the Cincinnati region. It serves as a voice for the interests of its 4,000-member businesses and their more than 300,000 employees.
The Chamber is committed to expanding the region’s talent base by attracting new residents and finding new ways to connect employers to skilled workers. And, by harnessing the power of Cincinnati USA’s unique offerings, implementing regional vision, and through intentional inclusion in everything we do, the Chamber is on a path to help transform this region into the hottest city in America. For more information, click here.
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber