Fifty-one beach-area restaurants are betting a $10 dish can draw locals through the door during one of the year’s slowest stretches, as Taste of the Beaches returns for its 18th year.

The event, already underway and running through Oct. 11, invites diners to sample meals along the coast while reminding residents what is on offer in their own backyard.

At Trade Winds Island Resort, sous chef Mitch McDermott is serving a chicken tinga taco. He said the approach is simple: keep the dish traditional and let the flavor carry it.

McDermott, a Pinellas native, trained at a culinary school in Miami and expected to build his career there. COVID brought him back home, and he said it has all worked out. He said the event has changed over the years, moving from a festival setting to a ticket-based format in which diners visit participating restaurants. He believes the shift has helped both the businesses and the surrounding community.

Charlie Justice, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber, said the event gives restaurants exposure in a quiet season and gets new customers in the door. Once people discover how good the food is, he said, they tend to return the following week and the week after.

McDermott said he hopes the event continues for years and brings in more local customers, whether they were born and raised in the area or just moved here.

A portion of this year’s proceeds will go to Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside.

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