Courtesy Saratoga International Flavorfeast (2021)
An image from the Flavorfeast website.
Saratoga Springs would normally play host to the Saratoga International Flavorfeast, on Saturday Oct. 9, Columbus Day weekend, but the event organizers announced Sept. 14 that they are postponing the event until next year, the second year in a row that this has happened.
The organizers, owners of Saratoga Food Fanatic and Network Saratoga LLC, said in a statement that the rise of the delta variant of COVID-19 made them postpone again.
"As you know, Saratoga International Flavorfeast couldn’t go on last year due to COVID-19, and as we approached this year, we thought it might be doable,” said co-organizer, Francine "Fran" Dingeman, in a statement. She is owner of Network Saratoga and organizes the event with her daughter, Ashley Dingeman, publisher of the Saratoga Food Fanatic restaurant review website.
“Unfortunately, in light of the recent increase in cases, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s event and look to a brighter (and safer) 2022,” Fran Dingeman wrote.
The organizers urged people to go out to restaurants to support the local economy.
The announcement says that Saratoga International Flavorfeast was created to bring greater awareness to the richness of the local diversity, while celebrating the worldly culinary styles and people that give the Saratoga Springs area its unique flair.
The website for the event listed 28 participating restaurants in the 2019 Flavorfeast, the sixth annual event and the last one that was held. A printable “passport” to the event that year helped diners find places that would sell a small bite with international flair for just a $1. Dishes included fare from Italy, Turkey, Germany, Mexico, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, Belgium, Thailand, Japan and elsewhere.
Similarly, three events in Glens Falls, Wing Fest, Pet Fest and Fit Fest, were cancelled in recent weeks, citing similar concerns.
The next Flavorfeast is slated for Oct. 8, 2022.