Inaugural festival will mix food, fun of the Bull City



Excerpts: The Taste of Durham Festival is a pastiche of entertainment and food offerings -- from a beer hall and local celebrity chef demonstrations to Polynesian dancers and pi?ata-making workshops for children. ?.Ruskan modeled the event after Taste of Chicago and several festivals she volunteered for in her former hometown of Fort Myers, Fla. But she said Taste of Durham is ultimately just that: a sampler of Durham's multicultural present and future. "We can share our music and diversity -- without the politics. We have food festivals and music festivals, and I just combined those concepts. We'll have the famous, the not-so-famous, eclectic, African-American and women chefs from around the area to show the diversity of this area," said Ruskan.

In addition to another stage on the Morgan Imports loading dock and a kids' tent in the Peabody Place parking lot, there will be other cultural stations throughout both retail centers, such as a Taste of Mexico (in front of El Rodeo) or Taste of Brazil (near Chamas steakhouse). The performances' international flavor will be echoed in the festival's snacking options. More than 30 restaurants will sell their foodstuffs, many of them on a restaurant row on Peabody Street.

Other restaurateurs, including Giorgios Bakatsias and Four Square's Shane Ingram, will do chef demonstrations at a custom-made, portable kitchenette in Brightleaf's outside courtyard.

Whether their financial gain from a one-day event may be negligible, these small businesses can meet future customers Saturday, said Ruskan. "A festival supports the community economically. You can mix your business and your humanity."

And beyond the recreational and monetary reasons to organize a festival, Ruskan said Taste of Durham is a sign that a city with contentious politics can collaborate. "I think festivals are wonderful vehicles for bringing people together. It's corny, but I believe it," she said.