Prepare your taste buds for the 2019 Taste of Henry food festival.
By LaTria Garnigan
In just a few days the annual Taste of Henry will be held at the Jason T. Harper event center at Heritage Park. Numerous Henry County restaurants will be offering scrumptious samples of their menus. Talk about a foodie’s dream!
There will be more than 20 restaurants offering samples at the food festival. Admission is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors age 65 and older and $5 for children ages 3 to 12. Proceeds from the event will benefit A Friend’s House[. The festival will be held Friday, April 12, from 6 to 9 p.m. Visit www.tasteofhenry.org for more information and a full list of participating restaurant vendors.
1000 Tanger Drive, #316a, Locust Grove
Open daily
Amit Patel will showcase his smoothies and frozen coffee drinks at Taste of Henry for the second year. Last year’s presence was a success, and Patel is looking forward to delivering his drinks again. For him, being able to meet customers and forge new relationships with those who might not know where the business is located is a plus.
He’ll have his top three smoothie flavors available: strawberry banana, piña colada and mango orange. And as a special treat, a new tropical flavor will be available too. Sidenote: I tried this mixed with strawberries, and if you visit the store at Tanger you HAVE to get this. With this impending spring/summer heat, it’s so refreshing and tasty!
Make sure to visit the store for more flavors! Maui Wowi features 85 combinations of smoothies and about 300 flavors of coffee including iced, hot and frozen.
According to Patel, “it doesn’t matter if you’re 4 years old or 84, you can find something.”
638 Hwy. 138 West, Stockbridge
Open daily for breakfast and dinner
Housed in the Holiday Inn in Stockbridge, Burger Theory is not your average hotel dining spot. The modern design makes it feel as if someone dropped a standalone restaurant into the lobby. Plus, the impressive menu features items that anyone can enjoy. They’re no strangers to the Taste of Henry either, having participated several times and won a few awards including People’s Choice, Best Presentation and Best Desserts.
Known for their signature burgers, including the yummy lonestar double (which I recommend[), Burger Theory’s Executive Chef Delroy Stewart wants to showcase more of the restaurant’s offerings. Aside from being a dine-in spot, they also have a successful catering component to the business. For Taste of Henry, visitors will be able to sample a few of the dishes privy to catering customers like the cilantro and lime lollipop chicken, margarita shrimp, black beans and rice bowls and for the sweet tooth their famous pineapple tree featuring fruit kabobs and an assortment of mini desserts. And for those desserts, hopefully they present their key lime pie, which is by far one of the best I’ve tasted. Many times, restaurants skimp on the lime flavor, but NOT chef Stewart!
Burger Theory staff is looking forward to meeting their customers for another year, according to Director of Sales Jewettee McNeal.
“It’s almost like a campaign in a way for your booth and your food,” she said. “We love the people, it’s incredibly fun and the interaction is fun.”
3988 Hwy. 42, Locust Grove
Open Thursday through Sunday
Who doesn’t have a sweet tooth from time to time? And if you’ve never been to Crumbles by Nicole in Locust Grove, then you’re missing out. Owner Nicole Silva has been baking for many years, but has had her storefront for the past two. This will be her third year offering tastings of her delectable desserts at the food festival and Silva is looking forward to it.
The Food Network’s ‘Christmas Cookie Challenge’ winner has offered cupcakes, decorated cookies and cake pops in years past and we’re looking forward to what she’s bringing this year.
If you just can’t get enough of her Taste of Henry selections — which, believe me, you won’t — then make sure to stop by her shop Thursday through Sunday for a more robust selection of sweet treats. I can highly recommend her cinnamon rolls if they’re in stock! Plus on Sundays, check out her monster shakes. The weekly flavor-rotating treats are not your ordinary milkshakes.
“It is a milkshake with some other dessert component to it,” said Silva. “So it can be a cupcake, slice of cake, brownie, piece of pie or cinnamon roll and they have a different theme every week.”
Not only is the food festival a great way to meet residents who might not know her Locust Grove shop exists, but for Silva it’s a great way to engage with other small business owners as well.
A journalist first, LaTria Garnigan has always had a love of writing and exploring. And combining her love of food and travel is a winning combination. When she’s not looking up recipes or trying out the newest home delivery meal kits, she can be found catching up on her Netflix queue and discussing all things entertainment with her friends. You can keep up with some of her shenanigans on Twitter and Instagram — @SimplyTria.