The free food tasting event known as Taste of Des Moines is once again making its way to the Drake campus on Oct. 22, from 3 to 5 p.m. in Helmick Commons.
This event is organized by the Student Activities Board (SAB) every year and features many different local food businesses around the Des Moines community.
President of SAB Kylie Ellis, a senior triple majoring in marketing, accounting and business law with a concentration in integrated marketing communication, said that this event is a celebration.
“The purpose of it is to celebrate the various local businesses in our community and help spread awareness to the community about places of business that they had maybe not heard of or tried,” Ellis said.
The organizing process for this event is time-consuming, with many challenges that appear along the way.
“The largest challenge is getting in contact with vendors and trying to coordinate the date and time with multiple local businesses,” Ellis said.
Nevertheless, Taste of Des Moines has a track record of being notably successful. It was due to the strength of the Drake community, noted by Ellis, as many attended to offer their support.
“The businesses that we contact are usually very friendly and easy to work with and the members of the community have always been great about coming out to support the local businesses,” she said. “I think that without the outstanding community that surrounds Drake, the event would not be near as successful as it tends to be.”
Bella Spah, a sophomore majoring in digital media production, said she would like to attend the event for the first time this year.
“I have heard a lot about Taste of Des Moines from professors and other peers familiar with the town of Des Moines,” Spah said. “I would go if I knew other people from Drake were going.”
It is not certain which vendors will make an appearance quite yet – however, Spah is hoping to see Italian food.
“I would love to see homemade pasta,” Spah said. “That’s my favorite and new recipes are cool to see.”
Taste of Des Moines has quickly become one of Drake’s favorite annual events, with a vast range of free food to offer as well as the chance to socialize and engage with the community. All students are encouraged to attend and explore the options this year and show their support not only for the vendors but for the organizers of the event.
