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Local residents recently enjoyed a sampling of what Alabaster has to offer during the third annual Taste of Alabaster on Thursday, Oct. 19. (For the Reporter/Jason Homan)

By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

ALABASTER – Local residents recently enjoyed a sampling of what Alabaster has to offer during the third annual Taste of Alabaster.

This year’s Taste of Alabaster took place on Thursday, Oct. 19 from 6-9 p.m. at Siluria Brewing Company.

“We think this was the best event yet,” Alabaster Business Alliance President Tracy Coyne said.

The annual event allows locals an opportunity to raise money for a good cause all while sampling a variety of dishes and beverages from local restaurants.

This year’s edition of the Taste of Alabaster featured nine different local businesses, including Joe’s Italian, The Copper Train, Birds & Burgers, Priscilla’s Cakes, creACTive, Buddy’s Bar-B-Que, Chubbfathers, Alabaster Nutrition and Momo’s Cajun Eatz.

“We had a fantastic variety of vendors this year from food trucks to healthy teas to restaurants and even a bakery that’s not even open yet,” Coyne said. “So, we were very excited, we felt like we covered all the bases.”

The new owner of Joe’s Italian attended the event and greeted customers and Breaking Bread with AJ & the ChubbFather aired live at the event.

Local artist Cole Pevey provided live music for attendees to enjoy during the event.

“Everybody just loves Cole,” Coyne said. “We’ve actually already signed Cole to come next year. He plays beautifully, but you can still talk over him. He’s just great.”

This year’s event provided a sneak peek at an upcoming local business, Priscilla’s Cakes.

“We are very excited to have Priscilla’s Cakes coming to Alabaster,” Coyne said. “This will be her first storefront.”

Priscilla’s Cakes will be a new bakery for the Alabaster area and is currently planned to be located  near the Restore building.

Coyne said she estimates this year’s Taste of Alabaster raised approximately $7,000.

“The Taste of Alabaster has become a dual-purpose event,” Coyne said. “The community gets to see and meet so many restaurants and vendors that they didn’t know were around and, at the same time, support the ABA (Alabaster Business Alliance) Scholarship Fund.”

Each year, all proceeds from the event go toward funding the Alabaster Business Alliance Scholarship Fund.

“The ABA Scholarship Fund gives scholarships to graduating seniors going to any next-level education whether its college or a trade school,” Coyne said. “It’s only for Alabaster graduating seniors— it’s open to home school, private school or Thompson High School.”

The inaugural Taste of Alabaster raised enough to fund three local students and through last year’s Taste of Alabaster, the ABA was able to raise scholarship funds for five local students. After this year’s event, the ABA hopes to have enough funds for six or seven students.

Coyne expressed her gratitude to Siluria Brewing Company for hosting the event.

“We just were so grateful to them, not only for using their space but for making accommodations for outdoor space and extra parking to make the flow of the event so much easier,” Coyne said.

Those who wish to follow the Alabaster Business Alliance may do so at its Facebook page at Facebook.com/ABA35007.

Siluria Brewing Company can be found on its Facebook page at Facebook.com/siluriabrewing.

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