Taste Of Omaha
Taste of Omaha! Man, if you missed out on it this year, there was plenty of good stuff going on. This was the 24th year of the event, however, it was the first year that the event moved to Elmwood Park. It had previously been held at Lewis & Clark Landing, but was relocated due to construction. The event took place over three days from June 4th – June 6th.
For those that are somehow unfamiliar with Taste of Omaha, it is one of Omaha’s Biggest annual events. Probably the biggest food event where you have food vendors that have brick & mortar restaurants, food trucks, entertainment and a mixture of so many other vendors.
I want to start off by saying a big thank you to David Zorko from the Faturday Omaha Podcast for asking me to come down and man a table with him. If it wasn’t for David, Omaha Fattie would not have been in attendance. I knew about it, but it wasn’t on my Radar at all. When he asked me if I wanted to join him, I jumped at the chance.
Food! Food! Food! Everywhere you turn, there was food. I started my day off with a Buffalo Cheese Dip Sampler from Beyond Golf – Bar & Kitchen. It was nice and creamy and had a good flavor. I was surprised by the pieces of celery that were in it. I also grabbed a box of desserts from Elevated Aspect Cold Brew. Through local partnerships with The Bubbly Tart and Yuvi’s Bake Shop, they offered a nice spread of options. My cookie sandwich was so good that I couldn’t put it down. I only planned to eat half, but half quickly turned into all before I knew it.
The food highlight for me had to be the Fried Chicken Wings from Jackson’s Take-Out. These things were crispy and had a touch of salt that made each bite excellent. They were a bit small, but the flavor was a hit for David and me. This is an example of why Taste of Omaha is special; because you find places that you may have never experienced before and then you get to try them for the first time. It may result in becoming a fan of multiple new places.
For me, I loved being at Taste of Omaha. It was the first big outing for me since COVID and it was great that it was outside so there wasn’t as much apprehension for me. I ran into plenty of acquaintances as well as met many new people. I think we may have gained a few new supporters during the day. David and I had plenty of hand sanitizer and we were prepared for the day.
I know that after the event, some of the criticism of the event was that it was hot. I’m not sure how that is a reflection of the event itself and I think to effectively critique the event, you have to separate the heat factor. It was hot, but what else can you expect on a summer day in Nebraska. I don’t think Taste of Omaha was able to get their weather machine up and running, but maybe it will be available for next year.
Cold refreshments were a great way to beat the heat. Well, maybe not beat. However, you could at least try to combat it. David had a refreshing Strawberry Banana Smoothie from Green Land Grocery and I had a cup of shaved ice from Made It Myself Shaved Ice. David’s drink was 7 tickets and my drink was 8 tickets. We both used the last of our tickets for the cold beverages.
Speaking of tickets. I know that is a part of the way to rate the event, but I cannot use that for my rating because Bryan of River City Omaha joined us and gave us a couple of sheets of tickets. I loved it! It was great being out around people again and there were so many different food options. In addition to all of that, there was the live music, rides and the Chef Showdown.
Podcasting at the event gives me a different perspective on my experience. I give Taste of Omaha 5 Fatties. The effort that it takes to pull this size event off should be appreciated. Did you attend? If so, what do you think?