Taste of Charleston cancels planned return after 2-year hiatus

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/AP) - Taste of Charleston organizers scrapped its planned return which had been scheduled for October.

Charleston Restaurant Foundation President Jonathan Kish announced the cancellation.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have decided to cancel the Taste of Charleston scheduled for October 13, 2019,” Kish said in a statement. “Many thanks to everyone who expressed interest and we hope to see you at the highly anticipated annual favorite, the upcoming Lowcountry Oyster Festival on January 26, 2020.”

The event went on hiatus in 2017, following a 36-year run. Organizers had said they would use the time off to find a new venue and recruit new participants. Board members of the Charleston Restaurant Association said one of their goals had been to bring in more mom-and-pop restaurants and food trucks.

But Lowcountry Hospitality Association president John Keener says the Charleston Restaurant Foundation ultimately decided to cancel the Oct. 13 event in order to focus on the annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival, which is scheduled Jan. 26, 2020.

Keener says it's possible Taste of Charleston may re-emerge as a program within another festival.

Taste of Charleston drew about 5,000 attendees in its last year. The Facebook event page for Taste of Charleston showed 713 users who had indicated they were going to the 2019 event and more than 20,000 who had marked themselves as “interested” in the event.

The page states anyone who purchased tickets for the event would receive refunds on their credit card within three to five business days.