By Tatiana Ortiz
Traveling to European countries such as Italy, France and Spain might seem costly to some. By visiting Tasty Venues in Brandon one does not need to come with a passport in hand, but instead with an empty stomach to be filled with an authentic European cuisine. Individuals can also discover various cookbooks, specialty foods and more from Europe.
Tasty Venues brought a unique concept of a café and gift shop to the Brandon area when it opened in May of this year. A chef in England inspired Tasty Venues Executive Chef Cinzia Cripe to create something similar. Chef Cripe thought the Brandon community needed a place where individuals could explore the world through food. She moved to Brandon several years ago from North Dakota, but originally came from Sorrento, Italy.
Furthermore, it offers lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Tasty Venues does not utilize a set menu. Check out its Facebook page www.facebook.com/TastyVenues/ to learn more about the daily lunch menu. Individuals can dine in or order to-go. Every other Saturday people can come for British tea or brunch for $15 per person from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Brunch also gets served on Sunday’s for the same price and time.
To add, individuals can endure a Culinary Exploration Class with Chef Cripe on Thursday’s and Friday’s at 6 p.m. The cost would be $25 per person. Visit www.mytastyvenues.com to register. Individuals can also experience dinner with the chef on Saturday’s at 6 p.m. On the first Sunday of the month people can attend a traditional Italian dinner, which starts at 2 p.m. Or even take a culinary tour in Italy.
One of the owners from Tasty Venues shared her thoughts.
“Overall, we feel very passionate about bringing the community together through food,” Debora Felton said.
Join Chef Giorgio Ruggeri on November 29- December 2 as he teaches guests how to prepare Sicilian street food.
It is located at 951 E. Brandon Blvd. in Brandon. Open Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m.- 7 p.m., Thursday through Friday 11 a.m.- 8:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.- 8:30 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. Call 381-4999.
