PORTLAND — Mayo Street Arts, in partnership with Fork Food Lab, will host A Taste of Nations Food Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10.
The multicultural food festival will celebrate the dynamic influences of Portland’s immigrant cultures on the city’s nationally-lauded food scene.
The 12 featured food vendors will showcase a wide variety of world cuisines. The vendors are drawn from current entrepreneurs at Fork Food Lab, alumni of their incubator program, and local independent establishments.
Vendors at A Taste of Nations will include Amira Cuisine (Middle Eastern), Battambang Bistro (Cambodia), Burundi Star, Choma Zone (East African), Eduardo’s Brazilian Grill One, Flores Restaurant (El Salvadorian), Gunnar’s Icelandic Hot Dogs, Kili Organics (Tanzanian), Niyat Catering (Ethiopian), Oga Suya (Nigerian), Yardie Ting (Jamaican) and Young Nonna (Italian).
Attendees might find themselves dancing from booth-to-booth thanks to live DJ sets by Andrew Chang and Nick Robles, co-owners of Moody Lords Vinyl/Vintage in Portland.
Mayo Street Arts is a welcoming community arts center in the heart of Portland’s Kennedy Park neighborhood. The organization activates a 129-year-old former Danish Lutheran church as a performance venue, gallery and gathering space, and offers affordable studios and a performance space for artists. Their programming embraces variety, with a particular focus on puppetry and traditional arts.
Mayo Street Arts is a venue where immigrant artists and neighbors feel a strong connection. In collaboration with Cultural Resources, they also facilitate the Traditional Arts Network, which supports Maine-based traditional artists and ensembles who wish to preserve and share their artistic and cultural practices.
Fork Food Lab is a non-profit food business incubator and shared commercial manufacturing and processing facility focused on growing the local food economy. By providing entrepreneurs with work space, equipment, resources and access to locally sourced ingredients, they support the growth of sustainable Maine-based food businesses.
Admission is $10 in advance ($13 at the door); reservations are strongly encouraged. Small plates from the food vendors will be available for purchase for $5 each, along with beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages.
Each $5 taste directly supports local food entrepreneurs and the admission supports Mayo Street Arts’ free youth and community programs. Pay-what-you-can admission is available.
Visit mayostreetarts.org/taste or call 207-879-4629 for ticket links and more information.
