The Sweet Flavour of the Annual Food Festival, Taste of the Danforth

Photo Courtesy of 680news.com

The 20^th Anniversary of the weekend festival ends on the sweetest note

By: Sucheta Shankar, Staff Writer

Our stomachs anticipate one specific summer festival like no other, the Taste of the Danforth. Every year, Danforth Ave. opens its streets to a record breaking 1.5 million attendees, eager for a taste of gyros, Greek poutine and grilled seafood.

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the Taste of the Danforth which aims to commemorate the occasion with two Guinness World Records for the largest yogurt container and the longest Zorba dance. Aside from successfully breaking the current world records in both categories, the Taste of the Danforth added a twist to the summer celebrations with an ice rink!

Constantine Voidonicolas, Chair of the Board of Management of the GreekTown on the Danforth BIA, attributes the success of this festival to the, “sense the warmth of the many family-run businesses along the street. While it is, in part, a celebration of Greek culture, the Festival is also a celebration of Canada’s cultural mosaic.”

Among the new and unique flavours that made this year’s festival special, the most heartwarming ingredient is the philanthropic angle to the event. The lion’s share of the festival’s profits goes to Toronto East General Hospital. Over the years, GreekTown has donated over $1.5 million to the hospital and in 2012, an additional $250,000 to the hospital towards the building of a new Pediatric Clinic.

A Decima Research poll indicated that 90 per cent of respondents identified “The Taste of the Danforth” as their favourite GTA Festival event – beating out such iconic events as the Toronto International Film Festival, Caribana and Pride Week. This is clearly not a festival locals and tourists alike should miss!

BIO: Six months after forty-eight hours of intensive labour, I (@suchetashankar) started to communicate and haven’t stopped since. I enjoy channeling that passion towards writing, whether it is the creative or journalistic kind. If I’ve got you curious, feel free to check me out at www.suchetashankar.com.