(Seguin) — You’re invited to come out and literally feed your soul this weekend. The Seguin Martin Luther King Day Planning Committee is hosting a special Taste of Soul event on Saturday at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
MLK Committee member Terrance McClain says the Taste of Soul used to be part of the weeklong celebration of Dr. King. He says they decided to bring it back post-COVID and wanted it to become its own stand-alone event during February’s celebration of Black History Month. McClain says everyone is encouraged to come hungry and have a great time eating traditional soul food meals.
“We are allowing individuals to come and really get a taste of Black-American cuisine. So, we’re going to have all types of traditional foods, such as sweet potato pie, collard greens, cornbread, chicken, black-eyed peas, and so forth. So, we will be having that and individuals will be able to come and taste the food,” said McClain.
The soul food samples will be available during the event. He says you purchase your sample tickets and then you can use those tickets to try many of the soul food dishes that will be offered that day.
“It’s going to work much like maybe a fair. The entry is free, but you’re going to be able to purchase tickets to be able to taste the food. So, every item will have a different ticket price. Some may be one ticket, some may be two tickets, and you’ll be able to purchase those tickets to be able to taste the food,” said McClain.
McClain says there will be a wide variety of items for you to sample. He says a special treat will also be available for people who love creole gumbo.
“In addition to that, we are having a gumbo cookoff and our winner will receive a cash prize. We have about five people in the gumbo cookoff, and individuals will be able to taste it. They will also be able to purchase a bowl with the tickets that they have, as well, if they want to get a bowl of gumbo,” said McClain.
The Taste of Soul will also introduce people to some Black-owned businesses in the Seguin area. McClain says vendor booths will also be set up during the event.
“We also plan on having Black vendors there as well to communicate some of the things that they sell or communicate some of their business ideas. So, that’s what will be happening. That will be from 10 to 2 at the Knights of Columbus Hall,” said McClain.
The Taste of Soul is one of many events being hosted by the group on Saturday. On Saturday night, the MLK Committee is also bringing back a popular event that debuted during last month’s MLK celebration. McClain says they are hosting other networking opportunities for community business people. He says the committee is committed to hosting more events year-round in Seguin.
“We’re doing a social this time around. It will be on the same day this Saturday, but it will be from 6 to 9 p.m. and the address will be 420 N Austin Street, and we will be doing that from 6 to 9 p.m. So, we’re having another one of those. We want to do things outside of our MLK traditional month of January. We’re hoping to do something here, do more events (in the future), and be more visible in the community,” said McClain.
McClain says they want to remind people again that it’s free to get into the Taste of Soul, but you are required to buy tickets for any food items that you want to sample. Only cash will be accepted for the purchase of those food sample tickets. The Taste of Soul and Gumbo Cookoff
Taste of Soul runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the KC Hall, at 1015 S. Austin St. The special business networking event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at 420 N. Austin St., which is the old Weyel Buick Building. There is no cost to attend the Black Entrepreneurs Social.