It wasn’t your run-of-the-mill food and drink selection for the thousands of people who turned out for Eat & Drink Norfolk over the weekend.
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On Saturday, James Warman was chowing down on an intriguing mixture of bacon and jam on a small craft bun as his tablemate, Lisa Mathews, sampled charcuterie on a stick – cheese, peppers, yellow beans, bread and meat layered on a skewer.
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“It’s really good,” reported Mathews, who has visited the popular 14-year-old event before.
“It’s my first time here,” said Warman, “and I’m pretty impressed. I’ve been to other things like this and this seems better.”
The community agreed, as about 4,000 people turned out to sample multiple small servings of local food and beverages that highlighted all the flavors of Norfolk County.
“People love this event,” said special events manager Chantal Zorad.
“A lot of people tell us it’s their favorite event in Norfolk.”
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Zorad said some bosses even return to the three-day event more than once, coming with partners at one point and in a group at another.
“Some come from as far as Toronto, some come in a limo and some come in a small bus so everyone gets home safely.”
With 35 restaurants, food producers, wineries, distilleries and breweries participating, there’s so much going on that some people don’t want to go home, preferring to stay for much of the day, noshing their way through offerings by the various vendors.
An after-party, started last year, was so popular that it was moved to a new venue this year and the pre-sold tickets were hot items, selling out.
“People aren’t ready to go home and want to keep the party going,” said Zorad.
This year’s after-party was held in the building normally used for the quilts and pies at the annual Norfolk County Fair but the organizers said it was turned into a “really cool party space.”
Patrons purchased tickets to get into the main venue each day and then bought tokens for the various food and drink offerings.
The entire event is a major fundraiser for the Norfolk County Agricultural Society with the profits going to the fairground buildings and grounds.
“It provides great exposure for the vendors and people get a chance to talk face-to-face to chefs and brewmasters and wine-makers,” said Zorad. “There’s always a great uptick for the businesses afterwards.”
@EXPSGamble
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