The Boston Local Food Festival took over the Rose Kennedy Greenway Sept. 14 with a vibrant mix of flavors, cultures and community spirit. Described by attendees as “delicious,” “heartwarming” and “culturally diverse,” the festival brought together local vendors, passionate foodies and first-time explorers for a day that felt equal parts farmers market and cultural exchange.
The festival was not only a flavorsome showcase of cultural cuisines but also a unique experience with the vendors’ take on everyday foods. From Dry Brews’ “coffee in a bite,” an espresso shot turned to a chewy gummy, to Backriver Blends’ handcrafted Jamaican jerk-marinade, the day was full of culinary surprises. The festival hit all the sweet and savory bases from freshly baked oxtail pot pies to a fully organic blueberry crumble crisp. Kourtney Bichotte-Dunner, a fifth-year environmental studies major at Northeastern, agreed that the festival is a great starting point for stepping out of foodie comfort zones.
“I never had Burmese food before. I really wanted to try something like this, I’m a really big foodie,” Bichotte-Dunner said. “I love trying something new, and there are a lot of shops to do that here.”
For some, the festival was an unplanned adventure. Aline Franco and Michelle Garcia, Boston residents who are originally from Brazil, stumbled upon the event after seeing an advertisement for it online.
“We didn’t have any plans, so we said, ‘Let’s go there,’” Garcia said. What they found was a feast of global flavors right in the heart of Boston.
“They have food from all over the world: Brazilian, Arabic, even one for beer lovers,” Franco added.
Nearby, Koi Green, a third-year information technology major at Northeastern, was attending for the first time as well. “It’s entertaining to try different foods,” Green said. “It’s almost like brain nourishment because you’re learning about different cultures while eating.”
For others, the Local Food Festival is a fall tradition. Aida Evans, a fifth-year environmental science and landscape architecture combined major at Northeastern, has made it an annual ritual. “I’ve been going for three years — it’s the event I go to every year,” Evans said.
The festival isn’t just about tasting; it’s also about storytelling. Many vendors see the event as a chance to share their heritage with the Boston community. For Alev and Seline Gulden, owners of onebitesweet, the festival provides a stage for Turkish traditions.
“We wanted to spread Turkish food because there’s not a lot around here, and it’s our heritage,” Seline Gulden said. “It’s a lot of work, spending the entire weekend in the kitchen, but it’s worth it.” Their babkas and baklavas sold out quickly and got raving reviews.
At Prophecy Chocolate, Mateo Block introduced festival-goers to chocolate atole, an ancestral cacao drink prepared by visiting friends from Oaxaca, Mexico. “It’s a mix of corn base with chocolate foam on top — it’s about sharing culture as much as flavor,” Block said.
For Red Apple Farm, a family-run orchard that’s been around since the early 1900s, it was a chance to showcase its famous cider donuts — named the best in New England — as well as the second-best orchard in the country by USA Today.
For many, the festival felt like something bigger than a food fair. It was about people, energy and community.
“I don’t get out much to eat, so it definitely opens my eyes to different restaurants that I probably wouldn’t seek out on my own,” said Shannon Damuth, a third-year political science and economics combined major at Northeastern.
For Katherine Ronzoni, a second-year business administration major at Northeastern, the fair is the perfect way to spend a Sunday in Boston.
“I really love events like this where I get to be outdoors while the weather is still really nice and just spend quality time with my friends,” Ronzoni said. “It’s just so much fun to try all these foods from local small business owners. And seeing brands like When Pigs Fly bread has been really cool; they’re like local celebrities to me.”
Noah Quist, a local business owner of Three Gingers Jerky, said the fair was a milestone in turning their small business into a wholesale program where clean ingredient jerky can be accessible nationally.
“I had for years wanted to be involved in this organization,” Quist said. “It was more than anticipation for me: I was just so excited to be here.” Quist’s favorite part about being a vendor at the festival is the “interactions with the customers. Our product is so familiar to people, and yet, when they eat ours, it’s an immediate conversation. It’s curiosity, it’s interest.”
On the sunny Boston waterfront, the Local Food Festival proved to be more than just an afternoon of free samples. It was a reminder of Boston’s identity as a city for everyone: welcoming, family friendly and full of cultural pride.
Whether it was oysters and dumplings or baklava and donuts, the festival brought both returning locals and curious first-time attendees together for a flavor-packed day. Evans summed the festival up in three words: “popping, yummy and heartwarming.”
