Taste Of Tribeca's 25th Year Brings 60+ Restaurants To Festival

TRIBECA, NY — Taste of Tribeca will kick off this Saturday in its 25th annual fundraiser for two local public schools' arts programs.

The annual food festival is a fundraiser for the arts and enrichment programs at local public schools, P.S. 150 and P.S. 234. with dozens of chefs and restaurants participating. The annual food fundraiser was first launched by neighborhood parents more than two decades ago.

"From then, in the last 25 years, as the neighborhood has changed and there have been more restaurants, it's grown to about 60 restaurants," said Andrea Flamenco, co-chair of the festival.

"One of the things that I love about Taste is that it still manages to feel like a community event," she added.

Taste of Tribeca is 100% volunteer run, she said, and some who went to the schools who have since graduated attend or even volunteer.

Seven of the restaurants have participated in the festival since 1994 — including Bouley, Bubby's Tribeca, Duane Park Patisserie, Gigino Trattoria, The Odeon, Tribeca Grill, and Walker's. Some 3,000 to 4,000 people typically attend.

"[The] community happily coming together for a common goal is so heartwarming and inspiring, especially in this stressful day and age," Madeline Lanciani, who owns Duane Park Patisserie, said in a statement.

This year, the festival will get rid of single-use plastics at the event — encouraging people to bring their own water bottles and refill them at stations provided by NYC Water-On-the-Go. The festival will also offer an option to rent out reusable cups that people can use for the day for a fee and then return when they're finished.

Leftover foods will be donated to Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, a non-profit that works to donate food from restaurants and events to shelters. Recycling and food scraps will also be collected.

Also new this year: chef David Waltuck, former owner of Chanterelle, will return to the festival.

Chanterelle was one of the first fine-dining eateries in the neighborhood — which won multiple James Beard awards and regularly participated in the festival. Now, Waltuck is the director of culinary affairs at the Institute of Culinary Education.

Here's everything you need to know about the food festival:

When is it?

Saturday, May 18, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where is it?

Duane Street between Greenwich and Hudson streets

How much is it?

For a general tasting card, tickets are $45 before the event and $55 the day of the event. The card provides six tastes and two pours on the beer and cider tour.

For premium tent seating, you can purchase a table of four for $700 or a table of six for $1,000. Premium seating offers table service, T-shirts, and a gift bag from the festival's sponsors.

Buy tickets here.

What will be offered at the festival?

More than 60 restaurants, breweries and wineries as well as entertainment.

Here's a full map and list of the tasting menu and festival.

Taste of Tribeca will also hold an "I-love-Tribeca" raffle for $25+ gift cards to Tribeca businesses.

Tickets can be purchased at the local schools, P.S. 150 and P.S. 234. Raffle tickets cost $5 each or 6 for $25. For more information on the raffle, see here.

Will there be other entertainment?

Yes. Live demonstrations from kids Arc Athletics, Modern Martial Arts, BB Skate Club as well as activity tables from Craft Studio, Spotlight Kids, Brooklyn Game Lab, and Brooklyn Robot Foundry will be set up.

Manhattan Youth will have football tosses and clay-modeling for kids too.

Léman Manhattan Preparatory School will offer science and technology activities, arts and crafts, and more food tastings.

A stage presented by City Winery will host performances from The Cynthia Sayer Band, Tribattery Pops and musicians from the Church Street School of Music & Art.