Taste of Bloomington Returns

BLOOMINGTON — The annual Taste of Bloomington festival is back after a two-year hiatus, thanks to local restaurateur Jordan Davis. The revived event will take place on Saturday and feature live music and 50 restaurants lining Kirkwood Avenue between downtown and Indiana University.

"It felt like there was something missing," said Davis, who owns the Bloomington ice cream shop Chocolate Moose. "It's a very hard business to make it in. Anything we can do to help the people willing to take that risk, we're all about."

The Taste of Bloomington is free to attend, but each food sample will cost $5 or less.

"We're missing out on quite a few restaurants that we've lost," Davis said. "COVID was very difficult for a lot of them, that's why Taste ended and why it didn't come back until now. For us to highlight these restaurants and show what your options are without breaking the bank is really cool."

According to Visit Bloomington executive director Mike McAfee, the city's food scene is a big reason behind its popularity.

"The hospitality and tourism industry is a $500 million industry here, and about $150 million of that is spent on food," McAfee said. "Half of those people want to eat like a local."

Taste of Bloomington starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday and lasts until 10 p.m.