Given Cullman County’s abundance of agricultural output, shopping local for healthy home-grown foods shouldn’t have to be a hide-and-seek adventure. To make it easier to connect local-first shoppers with the growers who raise some of the area’s tastiest foods, the North Alabama Agriplex is hosting a one-stop event next week aimed at showcasing both the food itself, as well as the restaurants already involved in putting Cullman-raised items on their menus.

In a first-of-its-kind event, the Agriplex is teaming with the Wallace State Culinary Arts and Horticulture programs to host Taste of Cullman, a public food show exhibition where guests can sample local restaurant dishes and meet with local growers who supply their produce not only to restaurants, but to retails customers as well.

Set for Monday, Nov. 13, Taste of Cullman will be held at the college’s Peinhardt Conference Center, with a single $10 admission (reduced to $8 for students) grants each guest access to a diverse array of foods that have been raised and prepared right here in Cullman County.

Proceeds from the admission fee will go to aid The Link of Cullman County prepare Thanksgiving meals this year for those in need, while the experience itself should give guests a better idea of all the possibilities that locally-raised foods offer.

“You get taste tests and all these little freebies once you’re in the door,” explained Agriplex director Rachel Dawsey. “Chef Aaron Nichols is preparing a lot of fun things with the Culinary program to feature, and one of the big overall goals is to have our local restaurants featuring Cullman-grown produce and food — including beef and poultry — as much as possible.

“We’re even including local florists too, plus the Foundry will also be there giving away free eggs that they’ve grown on their farm. It’s a neat way to learn a lot more about what kind of local foods we’re able to produce and all the fun things you can create with them — and of course to sample some of those foods while you’re there!”

Taste of Cullman is set to run from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Nov. 13. Finding the event’s Peinhardt Conference Center venue is easy; it’s located on the lower level of the college’s School of Nursing and Center for Science building on the north end of campus. For more information about the Agriplex and its ongoing roster of program and events, visit the non profit online at agriplex.com.