ATHABASCA — The wait is almost over: one of Athabasca’s most anticipated events will be making a return at the multiplex in November, and this year’s organizers are in search of both the makers and eaters of tasty treats.
An open invitation has been issued — to anyone with taste buds or a special dish to share — for the second-ish iteration of Taste of Athabasca.
“We’re hoping it looks a little bit like last year’s event,” said Heather Seefried, secretary of the Friends of the Athabasca Public Library and Archives Society. The Friends have teamed up with the Athabasca Lion’s Club to make this year’s food fest an unmissable staple.
The event, which features unique foods from the wide range of cultures in the community and beyond, was revived in 2023 by the Alice B. Donahue Library and Archives and proved to be a big success.
“Everyone I talked to in the community that attended last year thought last year’s event was phenomenal, and are so glad that we’re doing it again,” said Seefried. “We put a Facebook event together for it, and right away, we got a lot of traction on social media.”
Last year’s Taste of Athabasca was hosted by the One Book, One Community program as a one-off, book-end event, and saw around 400 attendees. But before the tables had been cleared and guests had left with their pants a little tighter, talk about a potential next year could be heard.
“We kind of started (planning) at last year’s event,” said Seefried, as members of both the Lions and Friends were impressed by the success and scale of the event. “Discussions started happening right away, like, ‘Should we partner up for this?’”
Corinne Schertzer, member of the Friends, said one difference the organizers hope to see this year is even more attendees and dishes: “400 last year, hoping for 500 this year,” she said.
Guests interested in testing the delicacies on offer don’t have to buy a ticket in advance; entrance to this year’s culinary celebration will be by cash donation to raise funds for the library.
“It’s an attractive event for people because you give what you can give, knowing it’s going to a good place, and then you get to enjoy a ton of free food,” added Schertzer.
Taste of Athabasca wants YOU
Though the Nov. 2 event is still more than a month away, the Lions and Friends planning committee is seeking as many dish entries as possible in the lead-up to the food fest.
“We’ll have participants from different ethnicities, and we’re also hoping that we can get some people that have a heritage dish, something that’s been passed down through the generations within their family,” said Seefried.
To ensure no Athabascan is unable to participate due to high food costs, the Friends and Lions committee is making up to $200 available for each chef to cover the price of ingredients. Businesses submitting dishes will not qualify for financial aid.
Participants can sign up in person at the library, or via online form by scanning the QR code on the poster. The committee’s registration deadline is Oct. 24, but last-minute submissions may be accepted, pending approval.
In addition to growing the number of locals willing to try new dishes and explore new cuisines, Seefried, Schertzer, and the rest of the committee want to see this year’s event be a showcase of the cultural and culinary mosaic that is Athabasca.
“That was the one thing that surprised me last year. I didn’t know we had that much variety, even within Athabasca,” said Seefried. “That’s cool to see, and we’re hoping that we get just as much this year.”
Notable bites from last year included a spread of fresh Filipino food like spring rolls and pancit, Malaysian tamales, and the always popular baked Bannock with a traditional three-berry jam from the Athabasca Native Friendship Centre.
Seefried said if all goes to plan, this year’s food fest will be complimented by an online program with information about each dish. The committee is also hoping to make Taste of Athabasca a yearly event as a fundraiser for the library.
For anyone who attended last year, she also mentioned the Friends might be upping their own dish game.
“We were the very first booth, so we were the first booth people saw. We would hand them one tiny meatball, and they would be like, ‘Uh, can we have more?’” said Seefried. “There’s going to be enough food, trust me, but even we felt stupid giving them one meatball.”
