Food Rave Hits San Francisco

No, it’s not a teenage rave – at least not the kind you’d usually see, but we suppose there could be some teenagers there if they happen to be foodies. Instead, this is a kind of food rave where a group of people get together in San Francisco once a month to share ideas and fresh foods. The meeting is somewhat unofficial, with everyone seeming to know about it who wants to go, but unlike the raves your teenage kids might want to go to (but you say “no” about) these guys all have proper licenses.

The event takes place at midnight, as any good rave should and it features a variety of vendors, who hawk everything from pork rinds to boutique liquor to unusual flavors of ice cream (beet flavored ice cream anyone?). Vendors are able to participate for a cost of about $1,000 per year. That fee includes the vending space as well as health permits and of course liability insurance should anything go wrong during the course of the event.

The events are mostly advertised by word of mouth, including a healthy Twitter following which keeps close track of when and where the event will be held. A typical crowd is around 1,000 people from all walks of life.

The thing that makes this event so special is that there is such a wide variety of foods available. It is a foodie’s playground and members of the event specifically rejoice in that. Interestingly, even though there are health permits required at the rave, everyone attending is required to sign a waiver saying that they understand that the food may have been prepared in a location which has not been inspected. Bottom line, it’s a great place to experiment with new foods and new taste sensations.

Tags: food rave, new foods, rave, san francisco