{"id":371362,"date":"2022-06-28T06:06:06","date_gmt":"2022-06-27T20:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=371362"},"modified":"2022-06-28T06:06:06","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T20:06:06","slug":"local-international-visitors-check-out-final-taste-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/local-international-visitors-check-out-final-taste-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"Local, international visitors check out final Taste weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The final weekend of the 23rd Taste of the Marianas Festival and Beer Garden again drew hundreds of both island residents and international visitors to the Garapan Fishing Base, just in time as the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games was winding down with a closing ceremony last Saturday.<\/p>\n

This closing weekend of the Taste of the Marianas food festival last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday also saw the presence of visiting U.S. Navy sailors and U.S. Marines, who relished the opportunity to see local sights and taste the local cuisine.<\/p>\n

Jordan Gilchrist of Michigan, who did not specify his rank in the U.S. Navy, described the festival as \u201cpretty amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean we didn\u2019t know what to expect, coming in to Saipan\u2014we\u2019ve never been here\u2014so coming here and just having this thing going on\u2026and all the food around, it\u2019s actually been pretty good, really amazing food. It\u2019s actually kind of cool to see [an] island come together like a family [for] a cool event like [this],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The event was also attended by many NMPG athletes. Palau delegate River Thomas found the whole setup\u2014the lights, the booths, and each business doing its own vibe\u2014\u201cwonderful. I feel like a lot of care was put into it. And the music is amazing. The food is amazing. And the people are so nice, like I feel so welcomed, like there should be Taste of the Marianas every night!\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Marianas Visitors Authority\u2019s community project manager Martin Duenas, the food festival, usually held every Saturday in the month of May, was moved to June so it would coincide with the Pacific Mini Games and give visiting athletes, technical officials, and media a taste of the local culture.
\nThomas agrees that it was a great idea. \u201cI heard it was supposed to be earlier but you guys moved it, so the athletes can appreciate it. I think that was awesome [because] I\u2019m having the best time at the Taste of the Marianas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faye Ghemu, who is the Chef de Mission for the Solomon Islands national team, said this was her first time to attend a food festival \u201cand it\u2019s been great getting to taste the variety and the different kinds of food you guys have to offer here in the Marianas, and it\u2019s been a wonderful experience to be able to come to the Games and then also to experience the Taste of Marianas. \u2026I\u2019ve tasted some food flavors that I haven\u2019t had before so that\u2019s amazing!\u201d<\/p>\n

Many at the festival also appreciated that they could attend the occasion mask-free. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing. You feel freed,\u201d said Christian Gelacio of Chalan Kanoa; other individuals throughout the event echoed the same sentiment.<\/p>\n

The Taste of the Marianas was also a great platform to promote new businesses and restaurants. Tbar is one such business. The caf\u00e9 in Garapan had its first appearance at the Taste of Marianas this year.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve always just been there at the caf\u00e9 and we\u2019ve had our popularity there, but we\u2019ve never gotten the chance to expand to big event like Taste of the Marianas; and since we had Taste last weekend we actually had new faces come into the caf\u00e9, so it\u2019s a great way to build that relationship with our customers and get a lot more people coming,\u201d said Kristan Razon Isip of TBar.<\/p>\n

Various food competitions, held at the venue also piqued the interest of many. One competition featured Japan\u2019s Sachiyo Masubuchi. Masubuchi won first place and $500 for finishing a 5-lb sukiyaki dish within the whopping time of nine minutes and 25 seconds. Second-place winner George Cabrera got $250 and Nilo Jr. Dino placed third and got $150. Regino Ben in fourth place took home $100. Other competitions that took place during the event included the Kadun Pika, and Eskabeche contests.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Taste of the Marianas took place on the weekend of June 17, 18, and 19, and on June 24, 25, and 26, 2022.<\/p>\n