FORT MYERS, Fla. (April 28, 2015) – Twenty-nine local restaurants have already signed up for the Junior League of Fort Myers, Inc.’s 33rd Annual Taste of the Town.

This year’s event will once again be held at JetBlue Park, the Boston Red Sox’s 106-acre Spring Training and Player Development Complex located at 11500 Fenway South Drive in Fort Myers, on Sunday, Nov. 1.

The Junior League’s Taste of the Town is Southwest Florida’s original “taste” event and one of the largest outdoor food and entertainment festivals. The 2014 event attracted nearly 15,000 attendees.

Funds from this one-day annual event benefit the JLFM, whose volunteer mission provides thousands of dollars annually in volunteer services and donations to programs supporting women and children in the region including the Junior League’s national program Kids in the Kitchen to help fight childhood obesity, the ongoing work with at-risk girls in the juvenile justice system, as well as work throughout the community in partnership with many organizations through the League’s Helping Hands program, which provides volunteer woman-power to organizations such as Big Brother Big Sisters, the Abuse Counseling & Treatment Shelter, Early Learning Coalition, the Supporting Independent Young Adults organization and many more. 

Last year’s event raised the second highest tally in the history of the event, bringing in $133,000.

According to Junior League Taste Chairs Karen Hutto and Shirley Snyder McLaren, interested restaurants and vendors have until Friday, Sept. 4 to reserve a spot at this year’s event by calling 239-277-1197 or emailing totrestaurants@jlfm.org. Space is limited to 50 restaurants.

Restaurants who have already committed for the 2015 event include Bahama Breeze, Ben & Jerry’s, Bice Grand Café, Bubble Room, Burger 21, BurgerQue, Cabana’s Beach Bar & Grill, Connor’s Steak & Seafood, Cru, Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille, Edible Arrangements, Fathoms Restaurant & Bar, Ft. Myers Ale House, Iguana Mia, Kona Ice, LongHorn Steakhouse, Matanzas on the Bay, Marker 92, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Parrot Key Caribbean Grill, Pho Vinh, Pinchers Crab Shack, Rosalia & Ashley’s Zeppoles, Reuben’s Smokehouse & Catering, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Stevie Tomato’s Sports Page, Ted’s Montana Grill, Texas Tony’s BBQ Shack and The Melting Pot.

“We couldn’t believe the line of people that reached farther than we could see who were waiting to eat our food,” said Arvey Krise, owner of Reuben’s Smokehouse & Catering and Taste of the Town participant for the past three years. “This event is an economical way for us to be exposed to 15,000 people from every walk of life from miles around while benefiting a great cause. New customers will come into our restaurant months later and tell us they saw us at Taste of the Town, and that’s why we sign up for the next year before we tear down our booth.”

A member of the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc., the Junior League of Fort Myers, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization made up of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The JLFM is also a granting organization, providing mini-grants to organizations throughout Southwest Florida’s five-county area to programs that create better life outcomes for our area’s youth. JLFM memberships are open to all women aged 21 and older of all races, religions and national origin who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism. For more information, call 239-277-1197 or visit www.jlfm.org.

For more information about the annual Taste of the Town, call 239-277-1197 or email tasteofthetown@jlfm.org. For ongoing updates on Taste of the Town, visit www.jlfmtaste.com.