Big teddy bears and generous event promoters who helped put together two gastronomic experiences this year met up to celebrate a Taste of Tamworth yesterday.
Volunteer members of the Taste Tamworth committee visited Ronald McDonald House to hand over some culinary largesse - the funds leftover from the staging of both the Long Lunch and Taste in the Park events earlier this year.
The Taste people handed over $12,000 raised from the ticket sales for the Long Lunch, down the middle of Peel St in the main Brisbane and Fitzroy streets block, and from donations at the entry to the Taste day in the park in April.
Taste chairman Jye Segboer said the committee had done a great job, it numbers a core of about seven, but produced some great results, including a showcase of local produce and culinary skills.
The day in the park attracted over 6,000 people this year - twice as many as last year's crowd.
Post mortem reviews so far have included discussions about moving the dates and the locations of next year's events, and looking to involve more producers of fine food and food products.
"We want to look at how we can attract more producers, so we are also reviewing our fees, services and facilities," a spokeswoman said.
"And we are considering alternate locations for the Long Lunch, and whether a change will attract different people and give everyone a different experience.
"Ticket sales were slightly down this year for the long lunch and we think that was because there were a lot of events on around that time, but also it might suggest we need to change the venue to a different place that could be more appealing."
Their talks are continuing.