People enjoy family-like community at 22nd annual Taste of Homewood

HOMEWOOD, Ala. (WIAT) – The 22nd annual Taste of Homewood took place Thursday night featuring 32 local vendors. Hundreds of people came together to enjoy some of the local cuisine the city has to offer.

“I’ve been in Homewood over 20 years now. I’ve raised 4 kids here, and Homewood is such a special place, and I think Taste of Homewood just kind of embodies that,” Homewood Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shay Gartman said. “It’s just family-friendly and fun.”

It was a melting pot of flavors and people as crowds showed up from all over the metro-area for the Taste of Homewood.

“The socializing areas that they have, green spaces and things like this. There’s a real sense of community,” said Jo Kittinger from Hoover.

Homewood’s community described by many as warm, friendly and welcoming.

“I’ve heard people say that it feels like Mayberry, and I think it does,” Gartman said. “It’s kind of a small town in the middle of a big city, and I think that’s what sets us apart.”

Some of the city’s newer restaurants made their Taste of Homewood debut. Corbeau Wine Bar opened at ‘The Edge’ in October. Owner Dean Maio says he’s ready to meet his new neighbors.

“Homewood is just happening. Homewood is just a cool place,” Maio said. “I mean, just looking around, this is one of the few times that I’ve been down here, and it just has a great vibe, great community base and we just want to be a part of it.”

Other featured restaurants are tried and true community staples.

“I’m from a different part of the world and they just welcome me here like a family,” said Shiki manager Yoga Saputra. “You’re not going to find this around Birmingham. I think only us have this one. It’s called Opor Ayam, that’s special. This is from Indonesia.”

An event like Taste of Homewood can produce a lot of leftover food. This is the first year the Homewood Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Grace Klein Community to make sure that food is given to people in need.

“Probably [Friday] or over the weekend, we’ll take [the leftover food] and we’ll distribute it out to the families at one of our drive-thru sites, or we’ll put it into smaller meals, and we take those to families who can’t get around easily,” said Jackson King, community business development at Grace Klein Community.

For more information about Grace Klein Community, visit its website HERE.