Introducing Taste of the Prairie

Even though it was almost two decades ago, I can distinctly remember walking around the Minnesota Viking's former training facility at my first Taste of Eden Prairie event. As a young kid, my excitement to go trot around the turf exceeded the true value of the event: sampling our local food and beverage. With limited taste, and an underdeveloped palette, the only food I was excited to try was an underdressed Jimmy John's sandwich. Sure, I was a picky eater at the time, but even if you were to take a 9 year old Michael and place him at the center of food in Eden Prairie today, I'm sure he would have had much more to be excited about with "Taste" in Eden Prairie.  

That is because quite a lot has changed over these last two decades in the city I grew up in. The Vikings have moved to Eagan, and the old practice facility is just a building that I drive by on my way to work. Many businesses have come and gone in that same way, and that is even more apparent in the food and beverage scene. Most notably to me, Fat Pants Brewing Co was started, tested, and tried—and with 6 years of experience under our belt, we are excited to partner with the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce and First Western Bank to bring a new restaurant event to our city: Taste of the Prairie.  

As an adolescent kid, it would have taken a lot to convince me that Eden Prairie could turn into a community that valued craft food and drink. Yet in the nearly two decades that have eclipsed since the last restaurant event and now, the food and beverage scene in our city has absolutely blossomed. It seems that for every national franchise and each convenience-driven chain you could find in my youth, the city has made way for a matching, unique concept. These days, you can find dozens of local, small businesses driven by passion and a love for taste making.  

That is certainly what drove Fat Pants to open our doors in late 2019. There were plenty of places to saddle up to a bar and have a beer while watching your favorite team, or catching up with friends. Yet in our eyes, we knew the community would love having its own beer; just like we saw the community loved supporting its own coffee shops, its own pizza places, and increasingly today, its own craft restaurants; even its own craft distillery!  

With a truly exciting food and beverage scene, healthier than its ever been, we here at Fat Pants were chomping at the bit to help Pat MulQueeny and the Chamber of Commerce with their support of a new community event focused on restaurants and local businesses.  While I was just a wee boy at the time of my last restaurant event, it left a lasting impression on me, and we're hoping to pass the torch in that same manner to those that live here now. Everyone here at Fat Pants is eager to introduce the community to this new outdoor event, spearheaded by the Eden Prairie Chamber, as we hope to show off just how rich the taste-makers of Eden Prairie have made our food and beverage scene. 

With showings from T.J. Hooligans, Pizza Lucé, Kona Grill, and so many more restaurants and beverage makers to be announced, we are beyond excited for this June 12th afternoon at Fat Pants. We are excited to create a new spirit with this event: Taste of the Prairie. Happening in the Fat Pants parking lot on June 12th from 4:00-8:00pm, attendees will get unfettered access to this exciting tasting event. Craft cocktails, arranged flavors, live music, and a wide variety of Eden Prairie made food and beverage awaits you at Taste of the Prairie! Make sure to follow the Eden Prairie Chamber's socials, Fat Pants socials, and stay connected with our newsletters to get all the hype, updates, and details on this revival of craft food and drink in Eden Prairie!