by Ezabelle Janssen, Staff Writer

LONG BEACH (GG) — Mmm, good! On Thursday, September 25th, the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted its exciting 16th annual Taste of Long Beach festival at the scenic Harper McCaughan Town Green. It was a lively celebration where the friendly city showcased over 60 local cuisines, offering a delectable journey for everyone. Attendees spotted local favorites like Trax Bar and Grill, Coastal Daquri, Radish, Juan Tequilas, Coterie NOLA, Dolce, Off the Grid, and many more. The tacos were so irresistible that people still taco-bout them! 

Amin Whitmore, a proud local police officer, was seen savoring jambalaya from Coterie NOLA. “It’s good, not too spicy. Nice amount of meat in it. It’s really good. I haven’t been here before,” he remarked, clearly impressed. This delicious experience made him eager to visit the restaurant. 

The festival is a great opportunity for local restaurants to showcase their offerings and for attendees to experience many of them firsthand. 

The festival wasn’t just about food— it was a fantastic opportunity for local restaurants to shine and for visitors to taste their offerings firsthand. The celebration extended beyond eateries, highlighting talented cottage businesses like Breaking Bread Baked Goods LLC.

Susie, the passionate sourdough maker, said, “The event is really nice tonight. We’ve got a lot of local people who have turned out. It’s a really nice crowd,” Susie shared with joy. The local baker offered a bake of love for all to try, “Sourdough is not an overnight process; it takes several days. When you’re making 40 to 60 loaves of bread, it takes a long time. And it’s not just bread — it’s cookies, scones, or pakasha.”

You can find this artisan sourdough at the Long Beach Artisan Market at the Harper McCaughan Town Green on Sunday. “This was my first bake for the week. I will be baking again on Saturday for my market on Sunday.” 

Taste of Long Beach helps support the local food industry; every penny earned from the festival is reinvested directly back into the businesses.

Last year, the chamber of commerce was able to distribute $20,000 in small business grants and aimed to double that this year. Everything seemed doubled for the 16th year! The festival outgrew its previous venue, the Long Beach Senior Center, and completely transformed the town green. 

Long Mayor Tim Pierce was delighted with this year’s turnout, “This really shows the commitment of the citizens of Long Beach to support their local businesses. So, please, hopefully, everybody in Long Beach will come out and support our businesses, because we have a lot of good businesses that work very hard for the citizens of our town… Oh, the turnout was fantastic. I remember last year we had it in the senior center. I think they would have needed a much larger facility than last year if we had the same crowd in there. So I think a lot of people are really starting to get the feel of Long Beach and how much it has to offer. And that’s why you’re seeing this big crowd come out. So we’re turning the corner. We got a lot of opportunities in front of us and we’re moving in the right direction. I’m very happy.”

By the end of the night, stomachs were full and spirits were high. With every taco, jambalaya spoonful, and slice of sourdough, the Taste of Long Beach reminded everyone that supporting local never tasted so good. If this year is any sign, the future of Long Beach is bright, flavorful, and perhaps just a touch spicy—so mark your calendars for next year, because you butter believe this city knows how to roll.

(Photos by Ezabelle Janssen/The Gazebo Gazette)