Biggest year yet for food-packed outdoor festival this Sunday in Tacoma

Savor Fest, a multicultural food festival, returns to the Waterfront Market in Ruston this Sunday, noon-5 p.m. with dishes that tour the world, from the Philippines to the Caribbean and Italy to the American South.

The free-to-enter event will feature about 20 local food businesses, some of which don’t often set up shop in Tacoma. The lineup includes several newcomers:

▪ Trini Plate, a newer outfit from Abby Woods, whose Trinidad roots proffer savory pies like curry beef buns and pastelles, plus spiced fruit cake.

▪ The Cooking Goddess, a Tukwila-based caterer from Nadine Park, whose Filipino heritage will bring lumpia, caldereta (beef in a spiced tomato sauce), vegan pancit and POG Punch (a blend of passionfruit, orange and guava with lemon and dragonfruit).

▪ Olympita, a food truck from Olympia with falafel, halal chicken and beef/lamb shawarma in pitas, with homemade hummus and handcut fries.

▪ Galileo’s Pizzeria, a wood-fired mobile pizza oven helmed by Fabio Carratelli, whose Neapolitan-style pies run from the classic margherita to ones with potato, rosemary and sausage or the Peppa Pig with ham, pepperoni and sausage.

▪ Bakescapade, a Seattle-based bakery from pastry chef Karen Sandoval, who specializes in Mexican conchas and pan de muerto in flavors like banana, blueberry and pecan pie.

▪ Chill Paletas, the Latin American fresh-fruit ice pop enterprise from John and Amber Jones, offering flavors such as spicy pineapple, passionfruit-strawberry-mango and chocolate-dipped coconut.

▪ Koa Roots, a Portland-based company that makes plant-based Hawaiian fruit butters (marionberry, guava, passionfruit) as well as smoked butters (sage-thyme, Hawaiian sea salt, garlic and onion).

In 2022, the event was held in the TAPCO parking lot on Sixth Avenue in conjunction with Art on the Ave, which runs next weekend on July 23. The year prior, it was held in October at the Waterfront Market parking lot.

Previous vendors joining Savor Fest 2023 include Gigo’s Jamaican Grill, Jumpin’ Jambalaya, Ube Overload and Jan Parker Cookery.

To drink, Brewganic Coffee and Boboaholic will be there, and for more dessert, Mauka Hawaiian Shave Ice and Little Miss Sweets NYC — the latter from the event organizer.

Lydia Mendez, known for her Puerto Rican desserts and New York-style cheesecake, said the third annual Savor Fest is the biggest yet — it’s doubled in size. Most of the vendors identify as BIPOC and woman-owned, she added, “a major deal to me because Savor Fest was created to give marginalized groups an inclusive platform.”

“This year, we have truly reached our goal,” said Mendez.

DJ Pretty Vee will handle music, and Magic in the PNW will be dressed in characters for plenty of photo opps.

SAVOR FEST PNW

▪ Waterfront Market, 5101 Yacht Club Road, Ruston, waterfrontmarketatruston.com

▪ July 16, noon-5 p.m.

▪ Details: free admission, family-friendly festival with 20 food vendors (card and cash generally accepted) and music; follow instagram.com/savorfestpnw for updates

This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 5:30 AM.