Sharing is caring at T.O.O.T.
By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV
“Taste of Our Towns” (better known as T.O.O.T. in these parts) marks the unofficial start of fall in downtown Lewisburg. Guys pull out their flannel shirts, gals pull out their boots, and everybody hits the closed streets to try the best local foods folks have to offer.
Organized by Carnegie Hall, T.O.O.T. is a fundraiser for their local arts programming as well as area nonprofit organizations who set up as vendors. It’s held on the second Saturday of October annually. Attendees purchase small food items to sample and share with their friends. Portions are kept small to encourage folks to try multiple things.
“We were very pleased with the 38th Taste of Our Towns,” says Cathy Rennard, President & CEO of Carnegie Hall.
And so were folks across the Greenbrier Valley, with a huge turnout on a perfect fall day!
“The one make-or-break factor we can’t control is the weather,” Rennard adds, “and it was perfect.”
Forty-one food vendors and twelve artisans lined the streets of Lewisburg from 12-4pm this past Saturday as thousands of attendees packed the street ready to eat.
Foods ranged from pizza to shrimp & grits to margaritas to short rib sliders to fresh fried fish to soft pretzels to burgers. One stand even offered a Pakistani food sampler, which was very popular! Vendors ranged from the famed Greenbrier Hotel to local food trucks and community choirs.
USA Today recently awarded Lewisburg the “Best Small Town Food Scene” in America, and T.O.O.T. showed why that honor was most deserved, with a wide variety of culinary options from downtown restaurants and other local chefs.
The biggest change this year was a switch from “tokens” to patrons paying cash for each food item.
“We heard good feedback on the new model that eliminated tokens and vendor profit sharing,” says Rennard. “We believe that charging a higher registration fee to allow vendors to keep all their profit opened the door to unique and varied food choices.”
“At its core, T.O.O.T. is a fundraiser for Carnegie Hall,” continues Rennard, “so we looked for other ways to add revenue centers such as the beer garden, afterparty concert, and sponsorships. We will have an understanding of the financials in the next day or so.”
This year’s sponsors were The Schoolhouse Hotel, Musser Acoustical Ceilings, and the American Beer Company.
Rennard says it took a team effort. “ A huge thank you to our community and visitors who enjoyed the day, the Lewisburg City Works department, police department and fire department. It’s a long day for them.“
She says one staff member logged 29,000 on the day of the event, showing how much work goes into every detail. “I can’t say enough about the dedicated Carnegie T.O.O.T. committee members and staff. They caused everything to come together for a remarkable event!”
