Miranda Wright was binge-watching past episodes of Top Chef when the idea struck. Less than six months later, Miranda—executive director of the Center for the Arts at Kayenta—was delighted to see a capacity crowd of 300 art fans and foodies fill the Center’s courtyard for the first-ever “Taste of the Town at Kayenta!” celebration. Co-hosted by St. George City Lifestyle and sponsored by Voyager Wealth Advisors, the September 8th event featured offerings from many of Washington County’s most popular food and beverage purveyors, along with music by the Shawn Owens Project.
Though Kayenta is known for its “artistically adventurous” programming, including the annual Street Painting Festival, art exhibitions, stage performances, lectures and more, this was brand-new territory for Miranda and her staff.
“When I was watching those old Top Chef episodes, I wondered, ‘could we pull off something like this in St. George, where people would get to taste samples of wonderful food and wine…and would anybody come?’” Miranda recalls. “There was a huge amount of work to make this happen in such a short amount of time. The biggest challenge was whether we could get the restaurants on board.”
That’s when St. George City Lifestyle Publisher Paula Bell Christie got involved, signing on to co-host the inaugural event. With that partnership established, Miranda notes, the area’s most in-demand private chefs and restaurant executive chefs agreed to lend their culinary talents to the festivities, as well as an exclusive handful of local wineries and breweries.
“Having partners like St. George City Lifestyle and Voyager Wealth Advisors was a huge benefit to us,” says Laurel Bryant, board chair of the Kayenta Arts Foundation (KAF). “They really helped us reach out to our target demographic: people who support the arts, who appreciate great food, who might like to have a glass of wine with their meal, and who are looking for social events where they can enjoy all three.
“What we thought was one of the event’s biggest successes,” Laurel adds, “was that there were a lot of people who’d never been to the Center before; we really got some new ‘eyes’ on the place.”
Given that the KAF team hoped to sell 150 tickets—and ended up selling twice that
amount, with a 50-person waiting list— there were many successes to celebrate.
Dr. Eric Holtrup, whose myTEAMmd practice provides concierge care with an emphasis on longevity, was one of the generous Taste of the Town sponsors. “It’s always nice to support the arts and education,” Eric said. “Anything that brings the community together and provides more education, we’re all for it.”
Miranda anticipates the event will earn a permanent slot on KAF’s annual calendar. “This was really a part of our forward-moving direction,” she observed. “We’re really thinking about elevating art and culture in Washington Country. So expect to see more events like this!”
TASTE OF THE TOWN TOP RESULTS AS VOTED BY PARTICIPANTS
Best Overall: Digby's Market, "The friendship of those we serve is the foundation of our progress." Visit digbysmarket.com
Best Food Taste: The Five Mile Beef, All Natural Certified Grass-fed Beef. Visit thefivemilebeef.com
Best Beverage Taste: Bold & Delaney Winery, Tastings by appointment. Visit boldanddelaneywinery.com
For more information about the Kayenta Arts Foundation and the Center for the Arts at Kayenta, visit kayentaarts.org. To show your support for St. George City Lifestyle, please contact Paula Christie, publisher, at paula.christie@citylifestyle.com.
Marianne Hamilton is a veteran journalist whose work appears in regional and national publications.
"Anything that brings the community together ... we're all for it." – Dr. Eric Holtrup