A line of students formed on the side of McDonough Field and wrapped all the way down toward Cox Hall as they waited for the Student Programming Council (SPC) to open the gates to the fourth annual Taste of Emory event. About 2,000 students flooded through the gates in the first 20 minutes of the event. And by the end of the event, more than 3,000 people had showed up on the field.
The event kicked off this year's Dooley's Week by offering free food samples from 20 local restaurants – including Yogli Mogli, Fresh to Order, Johnny Rocket's, Yeah! Burger and Which Wich – on McDonough Field yesterday evening.
"It completely exceeded our expectations," College sophomore and Taste of Emory Co-Chair Michelle Feldman said. "It was the most incredible feeling ... to hear people cheering when we opened the gates."
Feldman said the programming committee started calling more than 100 restaurants in January and began to make personal visits to venues in February.
According to Feldman, it was a challenging event but was worth it in the end.
Goizueta Business School sophomore and Taste of Emory Co-Chair Michael Nathin said the committee focused on sustainability this year and made every material compostable or recyclable.
He added that sustainability office members helped students sort their waste.
"We were also pleased to have 100 percent cooperation from our restaurants in this endeavor," Nathin said.
Feldman also said SPC changed the location from Asbury Circle this year to promote a more "informal cocktail party" feel in which students could relax and enjoy the weather or play interactive games like jousting or bocci ball.
Students said in interviews with the Wheel that they were pleased with this year's location change.
College senior Michael Goldberg said holding the event on the field unified the students to a greater extent.
"I think Taste of Emory ... really represents Emory as a community," Goldberg said. "It is really awesome that we can come together over food. And everyone loves free food."
College junior Jackie Resnick said this year's event felt more social than previous years.
Last year, she left after seeing the crowd in Asbury Circle, deciding the wait was not worth it.
"I think that Taste of Emory is so much better this year than it was last year," Resnick said. "It is way more uniting. I am seeing all my friends here."
Although some were frustrated with the long lines, most said they enjoyed the array of vendors and the quality of the food.
College sophomore Sophia Dhanani said, on the other hand, that she felt the programming team could have expanded its outreach to restaurants further away from Emory's campus.
"A lot of this stuff we can get ourselves," Dhanani said. But she also noted that she is excited for the rest of the week.
News Editor Nicholas Sommariva contributed reporting.
– By Karishma Mehrotra
Photo by Joanna Chang
