The Hartford Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the City of Hartford, The Hartford, Constitution Plaza, and Connecticut Foodshare unveiled plans for the Hartford Taste Festival at a press event on April 27, 2022. The event was hosted by Shipman & Goodwin LLP and took place on their deck overlooking downtown Hartford.
Sponsored by The Hartford, the Hartford Taste Festival celebrates our capital city’s food, music, businesses, and cultural diversity. The event will take place June 10 and 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Both days are open to the public with free admission.
The two-day event supports our local restaurant industry and a local nonprofit. For a limited time, with the support from The Hartford, the Hartford Chamber of Commerce is providing the opportunity for area restaurants to participate in the festival at no charge. Proceeds from the Hartford Taste Festival will benefit Connecticut Foodshare.
Hartford Comes Together
“The event creates an opportunity for three great things at the same time. The community can come together, they can support and promote local restaurants, and they can provide financial support to Foodshare,” explained Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.
“We have some amazing restaurants in this city—not just downtown but throughout our neighborhoods,” added the mayor.
MetroHartford Alliance (MHA) President and CEO David Griggs echoed that sentiment pointing out the diversity and variety. “We have every type of cuisine. It’s what makes us who we are. That kind of representation and diversity is one of the things that makes Hartford great,” he said.
The event has been a long time in the making.
“We started planning in 2019 with the idea of supporting both Foodshare and local restaurants. The concept was met with enthusiasm, which has continued to build. People are people are excited. And we’re glad to support the Hartford Region,” noted Marc Sherer, President of Event Management for the Hartford Taste Festival.
“The Hartford is excited to be presenting partners. We have a proud history in Hartford and we’re dedicated to the revitalization,” said Executive Vice President & General Counsel David Robinson, who is Board Chair at the MHA.
“We have a lot of respect and appreciation for small business owners who bring passion to community every day and we’re excited about the economic momentum building in the city. We look forward to celebrating and bringing together the small businesses and community at large,” he added.
Connecticut Foodshare President & CEO Jason Jakubowski emphasized his dedication to Hartford, saying “I’m bullish about Hartford and have been for many years” and acknowledged the organization as a longtime member of MHA.
“This event started with Marc saying they wanted to do something for Foodshare. We’re happy it’s finally coming together,” he said. “A lot has changed—in Hartford, Connecticut, the world, and Foodshare.”
Jason noted that while some things have progressed, food insecurity is still a real issue. “Someone is food insecure in all 169 towns in Connecticut and proceeds from the Hartford Taste Festival will help those 400,000 people who are food insecure,” he said.
As the mayor emphasized, it’s a win-win-win: support the community, support local small businesses owners, support Foodshare. We hope to see you there!