On April 21, the Piedmont Food Fest will celebrate its 5th anniversary, beginning in 2022. As a volunteer-led event, the community’s coming together to contribute has been crucial to its success.

“Back in 2022, we were just coming out of the pandemic, and it didn’t feel like there were a lot of ways for the community to come together, which is what sparked the idea of the food fest. What I remembered is that here in the Bay Area, there are a lot of diverse cultures that should be celebrated,” said food fest founder Roger Tsai.

Head of food vendors and social media, Diana Lee, said that when we first started, people heard about the food fest mostly through word of mouth, and attendance was mostly Piedmont residents.

But even in the first year of the food fest, it was a success, with approximately 1,500 attendees, Tsai said.

“It was really exciting to have so many people show up at the beginning, which is why we kept going. And now we have over 2,000 people that attend each year, Tsai said.

“I think over time, more people have heard of it through more broad channels, which have also broadened the people that attend, so that people from all over come and enjoy the food fest,” Lee said.

Since starting almost five years ago, the food fest has grown from about nine or ten food vendors to 20 food trucks and stations. The food fest also ensures that the food trucks offer a wide variety of cuisines, including Thai, Tanzanian, and Hawaiian.\

“By curating a variety of cuisines, we really expose the attendees to a wide diversity of food that they wouldn’t normally come across,” Tsai said.

Tsai said that the reason they’re able to do everything they do is the help of many volunteers.

The Piedmont Food Fest website for this year has around 170 slots for volunteers to sign up, which is pretty typical of the number of volunteers needed each year. There are no requirements in order to become a volunteer.

“The process of volunteering is very organized. They have everyone sign up online beforehand, give shirts, tickets, swag bags before, and then you meet with someone who is coordinating all the volunteers to bring you to the spot you’ll be working at,” junior Amelia Oldrin said.

Junior Gladwin Horsley said there are definitely things to be excited about now, looking at this year’s food fest, which will take place on April 25 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

There will be six drink vendors and eighteen food trucks and stalls, including Vietnamese, Spanish, and Mediterranean cuisines.

The variety of food is what brings a lot of people back year after year, Horsley said.

“The Piedmont Food Festival also celebrates and collaborates with other organizations and activist groups,” Tsai said.

This year, there are advisors from the Piedmont Asian American Club, the Piedmont Education Foundation, the Piedmont Recreation Department, and No Immigrant No Spice