Folks dressed to the nines drifted through the elaborately-decorated hall, stopping by the many booths dolled up to fit this year’s Parisian theme, the air was filled with the sounds of live music and the aromas of delicious food from all over the world, and the tea was hot and ready to go. That was the scene at the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank’s 24th Annual Tastefully Yours food tasting event and fundraiser on April 13th, 2017 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. As usual, the room was packed with people enjoying quality food and beverage samples offered by local businesses such as Fin Seafood, Mango Mangeaux, Thank Goodness It’s Homemade, CookieText, and, of course, yours truly, Discover Teas, all serving up samples of our specialties to the hungry (and thirsty!) crowd.

Once again, Emily and I were behind the table at our booth this year, accompanied by Emily’s husband C.J., who was kind enough to volunteer his help. As usual, we had a blast! All three of us love great food (C.J. and I are both what people might call “foodies”), and there was plenty to be had at the event, with over 30 participating restaurants, businesses, and culinary programs present. It was wonderful to be among such awesome company and to meet so many people excited and interested in tasting our teas.

This was the third year in which we’ve been able to be at Tastefully Yours. We love the event, not only because we get to share our delicious teas with the community (this year we sampled our Blooms that Brighten and Rooibos Provence), but also because we enjoy getting out and getting to know other quality local food and beverage businesses in our area. It’s also a great way to contribute towards a good cause.

The Virginia Peninsula Foodbank’s mission is to assist, support, and empower the over 74,000 food-insecure people in the Greater Peninsula area through various initiatives, partnerships, and programs. They focus not only on distributing food to those who need it in the area, but also on education and community-building opportunities, such as their Culinary Training Program (whose samples at the event were delicious!).

As a local business, we have always been committed to helping out our community here at Discover Teas. We may not have unlimited staff or resources, but we are dedicated to our core values of Love, Purpose, and Gratitude.