It’s hard to imagine how Yum Yum Fest could get any better — the annual food festival from the Madison Area Chefs Network (MACN) has become one of the highlights of the summer, beloved by chefs and diners alike. But for its fourth year, the event is moving to a bigger location and rolling out a few key changes that organizers say will take it to new heights.
The Aug. 6 festival will be held at Breese Stevens Field instead of Central Park, which has hosted the event since its inception. The new location has a host of benefits — more real bathrooms, better options for parking and useful infrastructure features like designated loading areas and built-in electrical capabilities.
“There are so many things that are going to make it a much smoother event this year,” says Bryan Weinstein, executive director of MACN. “It’s not to say that Yum Yum hasn’t always been great — it has — but if there are ways to improve guest experience and also the experience for chefs, we want to look into those.”
Also new this year is an emphasis on children’s food and activities. Kids younger than 12 get free entry to the festival, but nearly all the dishes offered in previous years were designed with an adult palate in mind. “It’s not to say that the upscale food isn’t great for kids — it can be — but this makes it easier for people to bring families,” Weinstein says. Chef Laila Borokhim will offer a kid-friendly meal — chicken fingers with macaroni and cheese on a lunch tray for $5.
There will also be a “Kid Zone” with games and activities, and kids and adults alike can enjoy a vintage arcade, featuring games like Mortal Kombat 4, NBA Jam and Lord of the Rings pinball. There will also be more non-alcoholic drinks: soft drinks, iced tea and fresh-squeezed lemonade.
The festival will raise funds to benefit the Community Action Coalition and River Food Pantry, and the new partnership with Breese Stevens Field means that MACN is able to pledge $5,000 to each organization “right off the bat, regardless of ticket sales” Weinstein says. The donation is possible because Big Top Entertainment, the company that manages Breese Stevens Field, is accepting some financial risk for the event. MACN is also working with Big Top to secure a multi-year agreement to host the festival at the site.
“It takes a lot of guessing and risk out of it and lets us give more money to charity,” Weinstein says. “And for me, it’s about focusing on letting chefs do their thing, have fun and feel really good.”
