Okotoks businesses are offering a taste of the town for the next two weeks.
The ninth annual Taste of Okotoks is going virtual for a second time, with 15 days of feature meals at participating restaurants.
“This year, when people go support the restaurants that are participating and have registered as a Taste of Okotoks participant, if they submit their receipts to us they can be entered to win gift cards to local Okotoks businesses,” said Zach Adams, Okotoks events specialist.
This year's event will run from July 17-31.
He said the format is the same as 2020, but with a higher prize value for the foodies who take part in the two-week festival.
The event is running virtually this year because plans were set prior to restrictions being lifted in Alberta, he said. When the announcement was made, it didn’t leave enough time to secure the necessary permits to run the traditional downtown event.
However, the Town still wanted to highlight its service industry, he said.
“We really wanted to support restaurants, because as we know, restaurants were one of the hardest hit businesses during the pandemic,” said Adams. “This was a great way to support local restaurants.”
Some restaurants, like Red Rock Pizza, have come up with unique menu items to feature during Taste of Okotoks.
Owner Faustina Ciprusova said it’s the first time the restaurant has participated in the festival, having opened in the fall of 2020.
“We decided because we are a new restaurant in town, we would like to have more customers try our specialty foods we created for this festival,” said Ciprusova.
The restaurant is offering a specialty pizza and pasta for the event.
She said it’s a good opportunity to collaborate with the Town and showcase their new business. It’s been a tough first few months with restrictions on restaurants, and Red Rock is ready to show off its food to those who haven’t stopped in yet.
“I’m very excited for it,” said Ciprusova.
It’s also a way to see what other establishments have to offer, she said.
One of the other businesses participating in the Taste of Okotoks is Mamie’s Treats, which just celebrated its first anniversary with a signature Ice Cream on a Cloud – a scoop of vanilla or chocolate atop a bed of cotton candy and drizzled with chocolate, caramel or strawberry sauce.
The sweet treat is what Mamie’s is offering patrons during Taste of Okotoks.
“We figured since it’s so new, because our one-year was July 2, and since it’s so new we figured that might be the best thing to offer for the Taste of Okotoks,” said owner Anne-Marie Ouimette. “People will notice it more.”
She decided to join the festival after receiving an email from the Town and like Red Rock, thought it would be a good opportunity to promote her new business.
It’s been a year of growth for Mamie’s Treats, which now has popcorn and cotton candy in Okotoks Sobeys and Safeway stores, and will be adding novelty ice cream bikes and a hotdog cart serving up dogs, smokies and pulled pork to the mix this summer.
She hopes to partner with R.F.G. Meat and Seafood and bread-makers at French 50 to stock the hotdog cart.
“We’re growing and trying to keep everything local,” said Ouimette.
For more information on Taste of Okotoks and a list of participating restaurants, visit www.okotoks.ca.
