A food-centered festival brought thousands of people to the Rose Bowl from July 3-5 to try diverse cuisines.
The nation’s largest food festival transformed Pasadena’s Rose Bowl into the ultimate culinary experience. FoodieLand featured more than 250 vendors and offered food, shopping, interactive activities, live music and a drone show at the venue’s parking lots over the Fourth of July weekend. This festival is hosted across the country, bringing its distinct food experience to locations in eight other states. FoodieLand also hosts other events, including the 626 Night Market held nearby in Arcadia, California.
Sebastian Garcia, a self-proclaimed foodie and content creator, said he appreciated the range of food offered at the event.
“They’re not shying away from it,” Garcia said. “That’s what’s cool about it. They’re not sticking to, ‘Oh, we only can have turkey legs.’ They want to open up the door for everybody, so that’s pretty cool.”
Garcia came with his with friend and first-time attendee Sokhim Pan on Sunday, though he said he attended all three days of the festival. Garcia added that his favorite item thus far was a Sushi Taco from Honolulu Sushi Taco, which featured a fried seaweed taco shell. The two attendees also enjoyed giant baby bottle drinks, Pan said.
Yvette Lovstad and Jamie Black, two comedians, also attended the event for the first time. Black said he was eager to try different kinds of food. He bought the two tickets when Lovstad had been experiencing homelessness, so the opportunity felt especially uplifting, Lovstad said. Black said he had been looking forward to trying the Cheese Wheel Pasta with lobster, which he enjoyed. The two also indulged in some giraffe- and bear-shaped drinks.
The Sushi Tacos and Cheese Wheel Pasta were only two of many unique foods featured at the event, which also offered Giant Deep-Fried Squid, Sushi Pizza, Cheesecake on a Stick, Lumpia Buckets and ice cream in J-Shaped Honey Cones.
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Christopher Monterroso, one of the owners of Hawaiian Honey Cones, said the unique shape of his product allows people to hold the “cone” upright and have the ice cream melt into it, rather than off the sides as with a traditional cone.
Hawaiian Honey Cones was created 10 years ago with the intention of vending at food festivals, Monterroso said. The company has sold the cones at FoodieLand since the event started in 2019, he added. Hawaiian Honey Cones is one of many vendors that travels specifically with FoodieLand, Monterroso said.
Monterroso added that he enjoys the sense of community that develops among returning vendors.
“You meet a lot of people. You become friends with these vendors that you see from here,” Monterroso said. “I can be in another state and still run into the same vendors, and then some of these vendors were at my wedding, some of them I’ve just become very close with.”
Paul Samano, the owner of Lumpia Bucket, also said he appreciates the community. Lumpia Bucket, another regular FoodieLand vendor for the past four years, offers items like the original Lumpia Bucket, which includes chicharron (dried pork rinds) and lumpia (a deep-fried spring roll), Samano said.
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Another popular vendor, Famous PUDN, follows the FoodieLand festival but also has a brick-and-mortar location in Temecula, California, said EJ Smith, the owner and creator of the business. Inspired by his favorite childhood dessert, Smith said he opened the first build-your-own pudding shop in the United States. The original cup features banana pudding, whipped cream, vanilla wafers, and real banana slices. With natural ingredients and a 24-hour aging period for the pudding, Smith added that he was proud to bring his careful work to FoodieLand.
“Everything that you can get all over the world, they’re offering it here,” Smith said. “To be able to provide this taste for people, this sweet and savory type of deal, I think it’s awesome. It’s an awesome experience.”
The event also featured many non-food vendors, selling things like hairpins and handmade doll. One of these vendors, Patchy Patchenstein, sold iron-on patches, hats, tote bags and keychains. Co-owner and UCLA alumnus Sheena Chou said the company has followed FoodieLand events since the festival’s debut, adding that she enjoys seeing how people express themselves through their patches.
Chou added that it can be expensive and arduous to be an event vendor, from storefront set up to long-distance driving and the handiwork it takes to attach patches. Because of those efforts, Chou said it can be upsetting when customers attempt to haggle for lower prices. Monterroso said while customers are often bothered by prices of festival vendors, they often fail to recognize the expenditures it takes as a vendor – specifically when paying for permits, hotels and Airbnbs, staffing and the portion some festivals take from their earnings.
However, Chou added that FoodieLand specifically has supported vendors well and taken feedback.
Kevin Seo, the CEO of marketing agency Secret Sauce Society, said he enjoyed seeing the diverse crowd and activities offered.
“I’m looking forward to meeting more of the community out there of foodies that really love to eat and be together,” Seo said. “Everyone hangs out well here. We have a communal table, so multiple groups of people stand around, eat together, talk about food and all the other things they love about the city.”
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