They're going to walk around to our local businesses who are involved in the community and always show up and always bring their A game.”

Amy Sutton, executive director and CEO of Hastings Family Service

The 29th annual Hastings Tastings event brought hundreds of residents together for an evening of food, conversation, and community support, continuing a long running tradition that helps Hastings Family Service provide meals and assistance to local families during one of the most important months of the year for hunger relief.
Held during Minnesota FoodShare Month, the event combined tastings from 16 area food and drink establishments with raffles, a silent auction, and community sponsorship support. The evening once again filled the venue with neighbors reconnecting, volunteers coordinating details, and local businesses sharing signature dishes in support of a shared cause.
Amy Sutton, executive director and CEO of Hastings Family Service, said the event reflects something larger than fundraising totals alone.
“This is the place where I feel like we never do this work alone, right?”
That sense of shared effort was visible throughout the evening as guests moved between tasting tables, visited with friends, and participated in raffles and auctions designed to expand the reach of each ticket purchase. Hastings Tastings has become one of the organization’s most anticipated annual events, drawing steady participation from residents and businesses alike.
This year’s event featured 16 food and drink establishments offering samples throughout the evening, including both longtime supporters and several newcomers.
Returning establishments included Alexis Bailly Vineyard, Hastings American Legion Post 47, Bimi Thai Restaurant, Cub Foods, Culver’s, Hastings Public House, Missi’s Sip & Savor, Schoolhouse Scoop, Spiral Food Co-op, Spiral Brewery, and Ze’s Diner. New participants this year included Caribou Coffee, G & G Petite Sweets, Bogey’s Pub at Emerald Greens, Broadway Pizza, and Hasu Japanese Restaurant.
Together, the group represented a wide cross section of the local dining community and helped create what many attendees consider one of the most enjoyable community gatherings of the year.
“We have 16 different food and drink establishments here tonight, including several new participants,” Sutton said. “We are just having a tremendous turnout, and we're so grateful.”
Several of the new participants also earned recognition from attendees through People’s Choice Awards voted on during the event.
Caribou Coffee received the award for best drink. Sutton noted that even those who are not regular coffee drinkers found something to enjoy.
According to Sutton, their strawberry lemonade refresher and blue raspberry energy drink showed that Caribou is more than a traditional coffee shop and “they have something for everyone.”
G & G Petite Sweets received the award for best dessert with its deep-fried brownie pops. The business is the first People’s Choice winner without a permanent storefront and operates from a distinctive pink food trailer that appears at festivals and events throughout the region during the summer.
Bogey’s Pub at Emerald Greens earned the best appetizer award with its chicken wild rice soup along with maple bourbon and sweet chili chicken wings. Located at Emerald Greens Golf Course, Bogey’s is known locally for its homemade soups and breakfast offerings.
Bimi Thai Restaurant earned two honors this year, receiving both best entrée and best overall. Its Khao Soi dish stood out among a strong field of competitors.
According to Sutton, the entrée category was especially competitive this year.
“We are so fortunate in Hastings to have so many incredible restaurants to enjoy and they always bring their A-game to this event,” she said. “It is a considerable commitment from each of them to share their food and staff time at Hastings Tastings, and I hope everyone in the community will support them the way they have supported Hastings Family Service.”
The event’s timing during Minnesota FoodShare Month significantly increases its impact. Donations collected during the campaign period are proportionately matched, allowing Hastings Family Service to stretch contributions further and serve more families.
“The best part about Hastings tastings is it is always held during Minnesota Food share month, where every dollar and every pound of food raised is proportionately matched by Minnesota Food share,” Sutton said. “This event has such great impact.”
Organizers entered the evening with a fundraising goal of $28,000. Final totals were expected after additional auction results and Minnesota FoodShare matching figures were confirmed.
“Our goal this year, I can tell you, is $28,000,” Sutton said. “We know we had great ticket sales, and we're just excited about the crowd that is here about the food and drink establishments who stepped up to help us.”
Attendance again approached capacity for the event. Organizers estimated between 280 and 300 guests purchased tickets, continuing a pattern of strong turnout that has helped sustain the fundraiser over nearly three decades.
Ticket purchases alone provide meaningful assistance to families facing food insecurity.
“Our $55 ticket purchase feeds two families for over a week,” Sutton said.
Beyond admission, guests had several opportunities to support Hastings Family Service throughout the evening. A restaurant raffle featured gift cards donated by participating establishments. A wall of wine included bottles contributed by members of the organization’s board of directors. Another raffle featured 99 bottles of beer donated by Hohenstein Distributors. The silent auction included more than 70 items.
“And so those three raffles, along with then a silent auction of over 70 items, are really going to help us raise a lot tonight,” Sutton said. “And again, when every single dollar is proportionately matched it makes it a big deal.”
Community partnerships helped make the event possible again this year. Presenting sponsors included Merchants Bank of Hastings and Modern Woodmen of Red Wing Fraternal Financial. Additional in-kind support came from Hastings Flower Co., Hastings Public House, Hohenstein’s, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church.
Sutton emphasized that the event reflects the combined effort of volunteers, sponsors, businesses, and residents who continue to show up each year to help their neighbors.
“It really takes all of us to do this work,” she said. “This is a place where I look around and I know that we never do this work alone.”
For many attendees, Hastings Tastings offers a chance not only to support a local cause but also to reconnect with friends and acquaintances across the community. Sutton said that familiar faces are part of what makes the evening special.
“I think what people find at Hastings tastings are their neighbors,” she said. “I think they will walk in the door and they find people that they know, who they can sit down and chat with.”
She added that participating businesses play an important role in shaping the atmosphere of the event.
“They're going to walk around to our local businesses who are involved in the community and always show up and always bring their A game,” she said.
Staff organizers Emma Realing and DawnMarie Vihrachoff said they were encouraged by the strong turnout and community participation and expect to share final fundraising results from both Hastings Tastings and the Minnesota FoodShare campaign in the coming days.
As the 29th annual Hastings Tastings came to a close, the evening reflected what organizers hoped to see from the start, neighbors supporting neighbors, local businesses sharing their talents, and volunteers helping carry forward a tradition that continues to strengthen the community year after year. Results from the event are expected to be available next week.