Lilac Festival's Annual Food Event Entertains 'Taste' Buds
By Leslie Rott

Pam Crocker (left) and Cathy Szabo display offerings from Freshwater Foods on Main Street at A Taste of Mackinac Thursday, June 15, on the lawn of the Harbour View Inn. Mrs. Crocker is the mother of Mrs. Szabo. Freshwater Foods offered meatballs in whiskey steak sauce, marshmallows in Mackinac Island Hot Fudge sauce, cherry butter cheesecake, cinnamon rolls, and cranberry and blueberry muffins.

The Lilac Festival's A Taste of Mackinac drew 350 people to Harbour View Inn for a sampling of Island cuisine Thursday, June 15. The buffetstyle event included dishes from Chippewa Hotel's Harbour View Dining Room, Mission Point Resort, Mary's Bistro, Horn's Gaslight Bar, Yankee Rebel Tavern, Freshwater Foods, Patrick Sinclair's Irish Pub, and The Inn at Stonecliffe.

Mary's Bistro served up shrimp and artichoke fondue, one of their signature dishes.

Cathy Szabo of Freshwater Foods was new to the event last year, but was back again this year with more sweet treats. She said she enjoyed being able to participate in Lilac Festival.

Rice and Beans, Caribbean and Jamaican Jerk Chicken, and Pork Chops were all on the menu at The Inn at Stonecliffe station. Chef Calbert Roberts said A Taste of Mackinac provides hotels and restaurants the ability to market themselves and also allows them to meet guests staying on the Island.

Clyde Ogle, the head chef at Horn's bar (left) and 2006 Mackinac Island Lilac Queen Melissa Bunker pose for a quick picture as Ms. Bunker enjoys A Taste of Mackinac, one of several events that she attends as Lilac Queen. Horn's Bar served Magnifico salad, chicken caesar wrap, and Chili Con Queso with tortilla chips.

Because of its outdoor location, A Taste of Mackinac can pose many challenges to Island chefs. Food is kept in warming trays, so choosing a menu to feed 500 people can be difficult. Chef Richard Roane from Mission Point Resort chose poached scallops in their own shell topped with a pickled ginger seaweed salad. Since scallops are in season and taste sweet, it was an easy decision for him to make those for the event.

"I think it is a beautiful event to showcase the tastes of the Island," Mr. Roane said of his first experience in the event. Kymberli Wregglesworth

of Onaway comes to A Taste of Mackinac every year. Her favorite dish was the chicken and spinach phyllo with a sun dried tomato cream sauce from the Chippewa Hotel, although other members of her family had a difficult time finding a favorite.