Taste of New Tampa rocks Tampa Palms, weather fails to dampen audience's spirit

By Gary Nager |
NEW TAMPA — Although the forecast for the 20th annual Taste of New Tampa on March 24 called for about a 70-percent chance of rain — and despite winds that gusted to 30 miles per hour — the New Tampa Chamber of Commerce that co-hosted the event with the Primrose School of Tampa Palms in the adjacent Primrose Park was happy with just the few sprinkles of rain that fell throughout the day.

An estimated crowd of about 3,000 people attended this year’s Taste and got to sample cuisines from nearly 20 restaurants, several of which were awarded prizes by a panel of judges that included two personal chefs.

This year’s Taste also featured an outstanding “Battle of the Bands,” which was won by a funk-rock band called Nervous Energy, which was rewarded with a $500 cash prize.

The event also was visited by Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who sampled some of the food and also touted the city’s new New Tampa Blvd. Gateway Bridge, which literally let people cut their travel time to the Taste in half. 

The Primrose School also offered a great play area for the kids in attendance.

The park proved to be an outstanding location.

For more info about this year’s Taste, watch our YouTube Taste wrap-up video.