GRUB FOR A GOOD CAUSE. The United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley is bringing a foodie fest to the Eau Claire Event District this fall, a first-time event that will double as a fundraiser for the local nonprofit. The growing list of food and beverage vendors includes Brooklyn Mike's food truck, pictured. 

For the former Taste of the Valley event, its proverbial kitchen closed for the last time in 2022. The foodie/benefit-style event, which launched in 2007, returned every year (except for a pause during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic) until its 2023 iteration was cancelled – and never returned.

Then, Taste of the Valley brought dozens of local restaurants, food trucks and other activities to Eau Claire's Phoenix Park, all to benefit the Chippewa Valley After Hours Rotary Club.

After its final event in 2022, no other event had emerged to fill that food-meets-benefit event gap in Eau Claire – until this year. 

United Way of the Greater Chippewa Valley (UWGCV) will host its inaugural “Bites & Brews: A Taste of the Valley” event, slated for Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Eau Claire Event District (5775 20th Ave., Eau Claire).

“We believe that great drink, food and music are the heartbeat of our community,” UWGCV shared online. “Every bite and brew served is a step toward a stronger, more resilient future for everyone in the Chippewa Valley.”

Growing list of food and beverage vendors as of early September:

• Level Up Sips
• Andiecandie
• River Bend Winery & Distillery
• Eat O'Clock food truck
• Nigerian Kitchen food truck
• Holy Donuts food truck
• Four Piggies BBQ food truck
• Johnny Wokker Asian Cuisine food truck
• Potato Potahto food truck
• Brooklyn Mike's food truck
• Lulu's Hawaiian Kitchen

The event will feature live music from Danny Frank and the Smoky Gold, The County Line and Troppo Big Band. Arts and activities from the New Heights School of Art, Harmonic Frequencies, Smack's Sugar Shack and other vendors will be on-site. 

Tickets to the first-time event are up for grabs online, currently under early-bird pricing: $20/adult and $10/child (ages 6-12), before fees. Event proceeds will fund “programs focused on health, education, financial stability, basic needs, and digital access.”

In turn, attendees will have their choice of food and beverage vendors' samples, arts activities and family-friendly attractions, offered both inside and outside of the Eau Claire Event District's High Country building. 

As described by organizers, while inspired by the former Taste of the Valley, this new event is tailored to showcase those community partners UWGCV works with and supports.

That list of regional organizations and initiatives is long, including Bolton Refuge House, The Community Table, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin Northwest, the YMCA of the Chippewa Valley, area health department programs, local school programs and many others.

UWGCV and its partners are still accepting vendors for the inaugural Bites & Brews event (email admin@uwgcv.org for more information) and hope the community will show up to get a taste of Chippewa Valley cuisine, for a good cause.

Early-bird priced tickets for Bites & Brews: A Taste of the Valley, slated for Oct. 24 at the Eau Claire Event District, are available online • Learn more at www.bitesandbrews.org