Taste of Coppell Ends on Sweet Note

Coppell—The Coppell Chamber of Commerce hosted a weeklong Taste of Coppell event, which presented its final celebration party in the Coppell Arts Center on Saturday, Sept. 18.

Normally, the Taste of Coppell is celebrated on one evening with all the restaurants offering samples in one place. However, due to COVID-19, last year and this year, it became a longer event.

“[After participants purchase the tickets] we gave them a second passport,and then they show up at the restaurant,” Ellie Braxton-Leveen,president of the Chamber of Commerce, said. “There was only a window of time the restaurant was going to give the samples.”

Participants went to different restaurants during the week to sample foods.

“It was great,” Truc Skye said. “I got to try a couple of restaurants I hadn’t been to yet and I had been wanting to try. Then I got to go to some of our favorites.”

“I really liked it,”Bianca Stock said.“We got to try different restaurants around town and go to different places we may not have been to before. It was nice to visit the new places and even the food tastings we got were always something different.”

Restaurants were not the only vendors showcased.

“This year we added the hotels and retailers to it as well,” Braxton-Leveen said.

“When going to Urban Air, we were like, ‘Are we going to go jump? We don’t know what to do,’” Skye said. “Urban Air gave out little water bottles and a pass for $10, just a little coupon. Four Points gave out a mimosa pack with orange juice and some champagne.”

“From Let it Shine, we got a scented sachet,” Stock said. “Hand in Stone was cute. We spun a little wheel, and you got like $3-10 off one of their products.”

The celebration party on Saturday let the participants taste beer, wine and pastries, and awarded the restaurants for their efforts.

“Our judges who go out to all the restaurants do the samples, and they submit scoring sheets, which determine who our top winners are,” Braxton-Leveen said. “There’s a top taste, and a golden fork, and others.”

“I loved the Eno’s cheese bread. Anamia’s is a classic, and Biscuit Bar was really great too,” Brad Hunt, a judge and Coppell ISD Superintendent,said. “They’re all great but those three really stood out.”

Participants had mixed feelings about the week-long event.

“I think there’s pros and cons to both.The big party we would typically go to was always a lot of fun,” Hunt said.“If there was a kind of a favorite dish you like, you could keep going back to it.

“[During the weeklong event] every day was a little adventure, and you could go to different places.”

“I’d like the bigger party, personally,” Greg Stock said. “I think there’s fun with the COVID and all that. But if you’re going to put two and two together, I still like the big party, because it’s more of a party atmosphere.”

Anamia’s Tex-Mex won three awards: Best International Award, Best Appetizer Award, and Top Taste Award.

J Macklin’s Grill won three awards: Best Brunch Award, Best Entrée Award, and the Golden Fork Award.

For the Best Non-Alcoholic Bar,Tealatte Bar and Fit Hub tied.

Best Dessert went toKessKravings.

Best Draft Beer was won by Apple Pineapple from Bishop.

The Best Wine award was claimed by the Texan from Landon’s.