Food, wine, craft beer, music. Saturday’s Taste of Richmond showcases home-grown bars and restaurants

Fine wines from Richmond vineyards, home-baked cakes, and spicy Quesabirria tacos are among the mouth-watering choices at this Saturday’s Taste of Richmond. 

The event returns after a four-year pandemic hiatus, with 18 local food and drink businesses, and three live music performances from Bay Area artists, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Civic Center. Tickets are $25, giving you five tasty samples; for $49, attendees can have the new VIP experience — 10 samples, a swag bag, and access to the VIP area. Kids age 10 and under get in for free.  

“Richmond deserves to have a culture of food and drink as strong as itself,” said Tom Lyons, owner of the Factory Bar, whose cocktails will be among the day’s offerings. A thriving restaurant industry would keep residents and their tax dollars in Richmond, he added. 

This is the largest version of Taste of Richmond yet, moving to the heart of the city in the Richmond Civic Center, which is accessible by public transportation. About 300 to 400 people attended the last Taste of Richmond in 2019, and the Richmond Economic Development Commission, which is presenting the event, is hoping for 500 this year. 

“Small businesses are the backbone of our local communities,” said Brandon Evans, the Economic Development Commission vice chair, noting that the event showcases some small businesses hit hard by pandemic restrictions that halted indoor dining. 

This year the Economic Development Council is introducing a small business resource center, an opportunity for business owners to connect directly with city officials from the business services, library, and IT departments. Richmond City Council members also will be in attendance.

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the chefs and owners of their favorite neighborhood spots, such as the Factory Bar, which opened at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, serving inventive cocktails like the Pointe Molate prickly pear margarita. 

“There’s still a lot of people who haven’t come to experience the bar and the cocktails, and so giving us an opportunity to bring that experience to them is one of the best parts of Taste of Richmond,” Lyons said. 

Perfusion, a local winery, is also making its Taste of Richmond debut, because owner John Bry hopes to connect with his community.

“It’s a real opportunity to grow our following, not only for ourselves but other wineries,” Bry said. 

The marketing and exposure are valuable to Perfusion, which grows its wines and olive oil in the hills of Wildcat Canyon. It’s the community reaction, Bry said, that inspires him to make better products year after year. 

Local food and wine options, he said, are pretty limited, with Richmond residents often going to Berkeley or San Francisco for a fancy night out. 

Taste of Richmond attendees aren’t just supporting local companies, but also about supporting Richmond as a whole. 

“Any event of this nature is going to pull people together in terms of civic pride,” Bry said.

“It’d be great to see people of all cultures enjoying themselves together,” he added. 

Tickets and more information are at  Taste of Richmond’s Eventbrite.