Taste of Carmel, an annual fundraising event hosted by the Carmel Education Foundation, will take place on March 7 at 6:30 p.m. This community gathering brings together local restaurants, caterers and businesses to showcase their food and drinks to attendees while raising money to support Carmel Clay Schools. It also serves to bring the community together, offering guests an opportunity to experience an array of dishes from local cuisines.

101 Craft Kitchen, a chef-owned scratch kitchen, is one of the 40 vendors attending Taste of Carmel this year. Mary Jennings, the general manager of the 101 Craft Kitchen in Carmel, said the restaurant is a strong advocate for building community and hopes to foster a welcoming, comfortable environment for those who dine with them. 

“Food is really important to everybody. Although we need it to survive, it’s more about sharing moments and how it makes you feel,” Jennings said. “The level of service and the way diners feel after being in our space is very important. We like to connect and make people feel welcome. Hospitality matters a lot to us.”

In partaking in Taste of Carmel this year, Jennings said she hopes that 101 Craft Kitchen will have a dish that suits everyone’s cravings. 

She said, “We’re a seasonal handmade scratch kitchen that has a little something for everyone. We offer a variety of dishes, and I’m sure those who come to try our food will be sure to find satisfaction in it. That’s our goal.”

Sophomore Irene Hwang took Introduction to Culinary in her freshman year and finished her baking course last semester. She said she decided to take a culinary course mostly out of curiosity. Due to her love of cooking, she said she thought the classes would expand her cooking skills and introduce her to new recipes. 

“I think that food is something everyone can agree on,” Hwang said. “In culinary, I’d always bring the food that I made in class to my friends and family, and they always appreciated it, regardless of if it was good or bad.”

Hwang also said she believes food serves to connect people and would like to see more food-centered events within the community.

“Everyone has different kinds of preferences and everyone comes from a different culture, so there is so much variety of food that people can enjoy,” Hwang said. “Food-centered events would help the community, because food is something almost everyone can talk about and has a good amount of knowledge of.”

Sophomore Sophie Imler said she enrolled in a culinary class because of her love of baking and thought it would serve as a good opportunity to have fun and learn in the process. She said working with food offered her a new perspective on kitchen etiquette and opened her eyes to individuals’ different preferences and tastes. By sharing the same culinary experience, people can be brought together and form bonds over a shared appreciation of food. 

“Food helped me connect through different cultures and gave me more ideas for how to make food,” Imler said. “Trying new foods from other cultures has made me feel closer to friends. It’s helped me feel more comfortable around them now.”