High school nonprofit hosts event with eateries
If you like to eat, then Taste of Bedford is where you and your appetite will want to be on Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bedford High School Commons, 47 Nashua Road in Bedford. The food-filled fundraiser, featuring numerous area eateries, benefits DECA, a nonprofit organization that prepares youth to be academically ready, community-oriented, professionally responsible and experienced leaders. Admission for the food fest is $15 for individuals, $45 for a family of four, or $60 for a family of five.
“Taste of Bedford is a great fundraiser for our students because it enables the community to come out and taste food from different restaurants all at the same time,” said Betsy Doyle, a business teacher and six-year faculty advisor for Bedford High School’s DECA.
“Participating restaurants serve samples of a selection of their cuisine,” Doyle said, so “it is an easy way to have dinner for a family taken care of.” The icing on the cake? “They sometimes also hand out coupons to encourage attendees to try out their business.”
According to Doyle, last year’s Taste of Bedford was very successful in promoting new businesses that weren’t even around in 2020 or 2019.
Joining the culinary celebration this year will be Alas de Frida, serving authentic Mexican food; Ben & Jerry’s ice cream; Carly’s Custom Cakes, offering pastries; El Rincon Zacatecano Taqueria; Hannaford Supermarkets; Lighthouse Local, home to dozens of local vendors and artisans who prepare everything from sweet to savory baked goods and delicatessen delights; Sweet Ginger, whose Thai cuisine includes a variety of vegetarian options; Taj India, dishes from mild to hot; The Inside Scoop, specializing in ice cream and other frozen desserts; Thousand Crane, known for Chinese and Japanese cuisine, including high-quality fresh sushi, and more.
“The Bedford High School DECA club members sell tickets to the Taste of Bedford event,” Doyle said. “All of the ticket sales get attributed to the individual student who sold the tickets, and those funds reduce their own expenses for future competitions.”
An international nonprofit career and technical student organization, DECA has more than 224,000 members throughout the United States. The Bedford High School group is one of the largest chapters in New Hampshire.
DECA’s mission is to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs by holding business competitions that assess business knowledge and presentation abilities and emulate atmospheres like those of professional business conferences. Students compete through business exams, case studies, interviews and sales presentations. After competing at the New Hampshire level, winning students move on to DECA’s International Career Development Conference, a global competition held at major metropolitan areas across the United States.
“The students gain valuable experience in organizing the event and recruiting the businesses to participate,” according to Doyle, one of three faculty advisors for Bedford High School’s DECA chapter. “All of the advertisements and publicity is taken care of by the students. The running of the event itself — each is done by a student leader. This year the event is led by Brenda Sacramento Cortes, a junior at BHS. Participating restaurants will have one or two student volunteers that will help them set up, serve and break down and load up after the event concludes.”
Aside from giving DECA students real-world hands-on experience with interviewing, problem-solving, and evaluating business situations, Doyle is gratified by her involvement in Taste of Bedford. “My favorite part of the event is seeing the community come together to see what the students are doing. We often have a very high level of participation from our own faculty and staff … and the DECA students love to see them and their families at the event.”
When: Tuesday, Jan. 30, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bedford High School, 47 Nashua Road, Bedford
Admission: individuals $15; family of four $45; family of five $60
Visit: sites.google.com/bedfordnhk12.net/bedford-taste-of-bedford/home
Featured photo: Taste of Bedford from previous year. Courtesy photo.
