The first weekend after tournament week, Aiken will be hosting its own entertainment, particularly a new three-day event celebrating varieties of cuisine.
The South Carolina Food and Culture Festival is slated to set up shop in downtown Aiken showcasing not only cooking from various cultures, but also artisans and artists, vending along Newberry Street.
The free event is coordinated by Foodees, an organization looking to make its mark organizing similar festivals throughout the region, with one upcoming next month in Huntersville, N.C. and in Lexington, S.C. this summer.
“Foodees Food and Culture Festival was designed out of a deeper need for people with cultural differences to come together,” said Ron Kennedy, co-owner of Foodees with Tricia Croft. “We feel that there is a climate of separation coursing through our country. While we may not have the ability to change the world—yet—we do feel that we can touch one community at a time.”
This theme of connecting peoples through good food is a central theme for the enterprise that, underscored in its marketing. Kennedy and Croft researched other cultural festivals as they developed the Foodees concept, and noted representation in mostly costumes, dancing and flags.
“What we didn’t see was an intent to bring people from those cultural backgrounds to the same space to share in food and fun,” said Croft. “These festivals were missing the power that they had to unite.”
The couple contacted the City of Aiken roughly four months ago to propose holding the food fair in town, after logistic issues undermined plans for another location. The distinctive concept of a weekend-long bazaar, devoted primarily to varieties of victuals, was an intriguing prospect alongside the city’s other major events like Aiken’s Makin, noted Aiken tourism manager Eric Gordon.
“We were excited about it… it’s definitely something that we haven’t really had before,” said Gordon, also noting buzz is already burgeoning among city administration, as many of the food trucks will be parked right outside the municipal building.
The street will be surrounded with vendors from throughout the southeast: such as Gullah Express, based in Beaufort, S.C., offering “island cuisine”; Puerto Rican fusion from Chazito’s Latin Cuisine, based in the Savannah area; and Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, based in Asheville, N.C. The festival will also feature musical performances by local artist Caleb Aiken.
Gordon said that while the community would have to come out and show its approval, it could be welcome as a recurring event, especially considering its underlying mission to use the medium of food to bring people together.
“I think that’s fantastic,” he said. “I’d love to see it continue here in Aiken each year.”
The Foodees Festival will be at historic downtown Aiken, at 126 Newberry St., from April 14 at 11 a.m. through April 16 at 7 p.m. For more information, visit https://www.visitaikensc.com/calendar/event/sc_food_culture_festival_presented_by_foodees/ or https://foodeesfest.com/aiken%2C-sc
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
