Join us for Year 10 of FEAST!
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023
10am - 4pm
Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, MN
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Here's a glimpse of the 2022 festival:
Meet the people behind a wide array of local farms and food businesses.
Visit the Online Directory or check out the floor layout and print directory below!
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Enjoy samplingUnique artisan-crafted cheese, jam, sauces and more. Stock up on your favorites, and discover fantastic finds for holiday gifts for foodies. Great finds to include in Thanksgiving gatherings! |
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Craft Wine / Cider / Beerand Spirits! FestDETAILSWith the purchase of a wristband ticket, attendees over age 21 will have access to our fest within the fest sampling area, as well as the ability to purchase up to six bottles of wine or cider. And, back by popular demand, we're featuring distilleries that work with local grain growers to produce unique, flavorful #graintoglass spirits. |
Cooking DemosDETAILS
11am: Mateo Mackbee
12pm: Erin Lucas
1pm: Shari Mukherjee
2pm: Beth Dooley
3pm: Annie Balow
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Kids ActivitiesFace painting | Veggie sampling Veggie car racing | Food & Farming books area Temporary tattoos | Carrot & Pea photo ops!
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Gift Basket WinnersEnter to win by voting for your favorite booth in our People's Choice Award Voting (details available at the festival). We'll present gift baskets throughout the day, and award the People's Choice winning exhibitor at 3:45 just before the show wraps up!
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Music:10am - 12pmTodd Wrigley - acoustic guitar Todd plays original solo fingerstyle Americana music, and says he loves to buy local because "it's all about fresh and great-tasting food, connecting and strengthening our community!" 12 pm - 2 pmFLATT & SQUARE acoustic guitar, mandolin & string bass Kat Conlin, Ben Manning, and David Vincent present a mixture of bluegrass and other fun music - be prepared to dance! 2 pm - 4 pmGreg Taylor - acoustic guitar Greg plays percussive acoustic rock, both originals and cover songs by artists like the Beatles, Tom Petty, Eagles, & Bob Dylan. Greg has recorded 2 CDs and has played for the first 4 Mid West Music Fest events in Winona, a summer full of Downtown Mainstreet Red Wing performances this summer, as well as repeat performances at the Rochester KTTC-Eagles Cancer telethon.
Food Truck:Infuzn Foods will be on hand with samosas and more! MENU | COUPON
Farmers' Market:A selection of farms will be there with fresh produce from apples to garlic to winter squash |
Location:North Lobby & ground floor Exhibit Hall
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Did you hear about the Spring '22 Localize Your Pantry contest?
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Remember this?
Holiday Hacks with Beth Dooley
James Beard-Award Winning cookbook author Beth Dooley walked us through her tips on how easy—and delicious—it is to prepare your favorite holiday dishes with local ingredients. Plus Q&A with Beth!
WATCH RECORDING HERE
Highlights from the 2019 festival
Cooking demos
10:30 — Jena Erie, People's Food Co-op Rochester Kitchen Manager
11:30 — Erik Kleven, Head chef and co-owner, Bleu Duck Kitchen
12:30 — Shari Mukherjee, MasterChef Season 10 Top 6 contestant
1:30 — Chef Adrian, Tonic Local Kitchen & Juice Bar
2:30 — Beth Dooley, cookbook author and James Beard Award Winner
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FEAST! People's Choice voting
FEAST! attendees helped crown the 2019 People's Choice Award, while entering for a chance to win a gift basket full of local foods goodies!
Children’s activities
Veggie Grand Prix race track! Craft table! And, Mayo Clinic dietitians hosted the Kids' Choice Veggie Sampling table where they could sample and vote with emojis!
Popup Rochester Farmers MarketAttendees saw what the winter farmers market had to offer and met their farmers. |
Wine and hard ciderSamples & sales were allowed for wristband ticket holders (6 bottle limit) |
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Live music!
10a-12p: Mary DuShane and Nick Jordan, with vintage songs from a range of genres. Mary, the original fiddler on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion radio show, teamed up with Nick on vocals, guitar, mandolin, flute, whistle and foot percussion. Together they presented a lively array of vintage old time, Cajun and swing songs, with Appalachian and some Irish fiddle tunes.
12p-2p: CBB Jazz Combo, featuring Nathan Davidson on saxophone and Dan "The Piano Man" Rengstorf on keys.
2p-4p: Jake Ilika and Joel Ward Guitar Duo offered their smooth guitar grooves and vocal harmonies
String Survey*
FEAST! attendees weaved yarn through the thought questions to contribute to the visual display!
FEAST! planners have always worked to engage the community around the issue of local foods beyond the simple act of buying local, and were excited to have the Background Stories "String Survey" to provide a visual means for getting to the deeper level. String Survey asked attendees to weave their own yarn as they responded to survey questions, for a collective display that represents attendees’ thoughts about local foods. Background Stories founder Arlene Birt has participated in installations around the world with her work intersecting art, design, and visual storytelling.
Vegetable Alfombra*
This life-size vegetable design (alfombra means carpet!) was constructed on the floor out of local veggies from area farmers. Artist Susan Waughtal curated the project, creating a design in advance, and allowing festival attendees to take part in creating the giant mandala-like design. After the festival, the veggies were donated to Channel One Food Bank!
*Read more about it on the FEAST! blog
Videographer
Ross Ballinger was on hand throughout the festival to document the creation of the alfombra and the string survey, capturing testimonials from thoughtful participants and spontaneous fun of all kinds!
Radio Broadcast
We had Minnesota 97.5 there, doing a live remote broadcast from 10-noon, ready to talk to folks about local foods raves & faves!
Come PLAY with your FOOD!
These arts activities were made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Directions and Parking for the Mayo Civic Center