Not long after the excitement of the Grand Forks Fall Fair and the Airport Appreciation/Fly-in event comes another exciting event for the area.
Two young entrepreneurs, Cassie Foxley and Devon Butterfield, are putting together a Craft Beer and Food Festival, which will go Sept. 21 on Market Avenue.
Foxley, who moved to Grand Forks recently from Spokane, owns Kootenay Occasions, while Butterfield is a chef and caterer by trade and moved to town from Vancouver.
“I love organizing and hosting things and Devon has a lot of experience doing that as well,” said Foxley. “
The pair came up with the name ‘Taste Buds’ because they are foodies (food fans) and are good buddies. They’re excited to start a new venture in Grand Forks and they hope it’ll become an annual event.
“In bigger cities they have the ‘Dinner Ala Blanc’ where you set up long tables and showcase local foods with a kind of end of the season harvest,” she said. “So we’re working with Kettle Valley Co-op and local farmers to work with the kind of food that is in season right now.”
The ladies were able to secure the brewmaster from Tinwhistle Brewery in Peachland to come to the event.
“The brewmaster, Jeff Todd, is originally from Grand Forks and he’s very excited to come back to the area,” said Foxley. “We’re going to do a really elegant dinner outside. We’ll have part of the downtown, in front of The Source, blocked off for a Saturday evening. We’ll have lots of lights and nice table settings. We’re going to have a long table so people can talk and get to know each other.”
The dinner portion will consist of a four-course vegetarian meal with a sample glass of craft beer with each course. The brewmaster will talk about each different beer, while Butterfield will explain the food item that is paired with the beer.
Also on tap at the event will be a competition for best local home brew.
“We’re trying to get people who are already into beers and come,” said Foxley. “They’ll describe their beers to the judges. It’s just for fun. I’ve already heard from a number of people who want to come and check it out from Vancouver. We want people to come to town and see Grand Forks and hopefully come back.”
Foxley said she thinks September is a good time to have an event like the craft beer
festival.
“People often complain that there is nothing to do in Grand Forks,” she said. “So we wanted to do something after the summer rush. So we’re going through the Downtown Business Association and the (Boundary Country) Chamber of Commerce. After our expenses, we’re donating the money to the DBA so hopefully they can kickstart into doing more events. We’re kind of just opening the door and seeing where it goes.”
Foxley said they’ve had a lot of positive response so far from the community.
James Wilson, executive director for the Chamber of Commerce, said the event is another positive boon for the region.
“It’s a new, fresh idea for downtown to get people to the downtown to enjoy some craft beer and some local food,” he said. “It’s a good event and hopefully people will get out and support it.”