Tickets for Taste of Muskingum are on sale now! The highly anticipated annual culinary event features chefs from local restaurants or catering companies who go head-to-head to be named Top Chef of Muskingum County. The event will take place on Wednesday, November 5, at the event venue Weatherington Woods. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event will conclude at 8:00 p.m.
Taste of Muskingum is a fundraiser for Foodworks Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to assist food entrepreneurs by providing commercial kitchen space, equipment, and storage. Additionally, Foodworks Alliance has empowered women through Recovery with a Purpose. The program provides valuable food service training through a workforce development opportunity at Foodworks Alliance and helps them to seek steady employment upon graduation.
“This is our biggest fundraiser, and we really do rely on it for operational funds,” said Amy Aurore, the Executive Director for Foodworks Alliance.
There are six local chefs competing in this year’s Taste of Muskingum competition. Chefs from Muddy Mizers, The 146, Rake’s Place, Taste of Greece, The Barn, and Tacology will be vying to win the title of Top Chef of Muskingum County.
“We’ll have Mexican-inspired, Greek, seafood maybe, American, and stuff like that. So, we’re really excited about that,” Aurore said.
Besides crowning the next Top Chef, first, second, and third place winners will also be announced. Along with the announcements comes prize money in the amounts of $500, $250, and $100 for first through third place, respectively.
The evening will include plenty of delicious local food, entertainment by DJ Adonis, drinks served by Patty’s Mobile Bar, a wine pull featuring Ohio-made wines, and a silent auction with some really great items.
“So, when they first get there, we have appetizers that we make and share, and then the event doors open around 5:30 at 6:15, the first flight goes out. So, the room gets divided in half, and half of the group goes to the three chefs on the left, and half of the group goes to the three chefs on the right. We get the three plates, come back, eat, talk with your neighbors and friends, and then we have a little intermission where I give a speech,” explained Aurore. “Then we switch sides. So, then you get to taste the opposite side, and then voting cards go out, and you get to pick which one your favorite is.”
The presenting sponsor for Taste of Muskingum is Bayer Heritage Federal Credit Union. The Top Chef sponsor is the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office. Additional major sponsors so far include Mary Ann Dutro, CPA, Zemba Companies, Raymond James Moyer Group, Genesis Healthcare System, and Sands Decker.
Individual tickets and sponsorships can be purchased online by going to https://tinyurl.com/TasteofMuskingum2025. Individual tickets are $50 each. Sponsorship opportunities start at $100.
“It’s a very fun atmosphere, and it goes pretty fast,” Aurore stated. “We open doors at 5:30, but it’s done by 8, so from 6 to 8 is really the live time, and we just crank on through. By the end, you’re full and happy.”
The event will be held at Weatherington Woods, located at 3625 Olde Falls Rd, Zanesville. For more information about Foodworks Alliance and Taste of Muskingum, follow Foodworks Alliance on Facebook. You can also call 740-280-6805 or email foodworks.alliance1@gmail.com.
