Taste of Marianas off to a great start

The 16th Taste of the Marianas drew thousands of visitors and community members as one of CNMI’s biggest tourism events kicked off last Saturday at the American Memorial Park.

The venue for the annual international food festival this year changed, as it is now closer to Hyatt Regency Saipan, which is near the Micro Beach area of the park.

The Taste of the Marianas has always been one of the most highly anticipated events organized by MVA every year and it’s being staged all Saturdays of May from 6pm to 10pm in celebration of Tourism Month.

MVA executive director Perry Tenorio said the Taste of the Marianas continues to grow in participation, performances, and diversity.

“The vendors have changed and also a little different from before is the partnership with the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands and members of MVA,” Tenorio said.

Tenorio noted that the Taste of the Marianas began in 1999 and was developed to let visitors and residents mingle and enjoy each other’s cultures.

“I think a lot of the community members enjoy the event. We’re very proud of it and we’re very happy the community enjoys it very much,” Tenorio said. “I am not surprised that other members look forward to it. What’s a little different from this year is that there are five events every Saturday for the whole month of May.”

A total of 14 hotels and restaurants on Saipan are participating in this year’s festival, providing a dizzying array of local and international cuisines to choose from.

Last Saturday’s entertainment was provided by the Chinese Association of Saipan’s lion dance group, Saipan Awaodori Team, Ukelele Jammers, Umang Glee Club, Marianas High School’s Poksai Guma Chamorro, Tinaktak Dancers, and Alana la.

Korean tourists Min Jae Kim and his wife Ye Ri Kang, along with their daughter, Na Ri, 4, and two sons Hyun Woo, 11, and Kun Woo, 16, enjoyed the different food from Herman’s Modern Bakery and D’Elegance Café.

Kim said it is his eighth time visiting Saipan. The last time, his two sons were still little boys.

“I like this festival. There is so much entertainment every year and now I see different food from one year ago,” Kim said.

Russian couple Kirill Gorelov and Liliya Gorelova said it was their first time to visit the Taste of the Marianas.

Gorelov said he and his wife are on their second honeymoon and that his wife’s father chose Saipan as their destination.

“My father-in-law recommended Saipan for our honeymoon, and one of my friends from another hotel said they have this festival, so we came here and I really enjoy it,” Gorelov said.

Gorelova noted that they would be taking their yearly vacations on Saipan because they love the island, culture, and the friendliness of the people of the CNMI.

The highlight of the evening was the hotdog eating competition, which featured two categories: “under 18 years old” and “ages 18 and older.”

In the under-18 group, Jae Hyun Lee won first place and took home $50 worth of Taste of Marianas tokens. David Yang and Miku Kimura came second and third place in the category and received $30 and $20 worth of tokens, respectively.

For the 18-and-older category, Raymond Emul took first place, while Saipan Tribune’s Shawn Camacho and tourist Chang Sun Hong came in as runners-up. Like the younger division, Emul, Camacho, and Chang got $50, $30, and $20 worth of tokens, respectively.