Free Taste of the Umpqua Event Coming to Downtown Roseburg October 30

ROSEBURG, Ore. - Local food and drinks will be on the menu throughout downtown Roseburg on Friday, October 30, as the inaugural Taste of the Umpqua brings a free evening of tastings to participating businesses.

The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of ReDiscover Downtown’s Fifth Friday celebration. Umpqua Valley Farm to School, Thrive Umpqua, and ReDiscover Downtown are organizing the walkable tasting tour, which will feature chefs, restaurants, wineries, and food producers from Douglas County.

Visitors can stop at tasting stations inside designated downtown businesses while shopping at stores staying open later. Each tasting will include ingredients grown, raised, caught, or crafted in Douglas County. Participating chefs received credit to purchase local ingredients through the Umpqua Grown Food Hub.

The announced lineup includes:

• Chef Andreas Pias of Timbre & Tap, serving food with a wine pairing at The Wine Destination.
• Chef Martin Condon of Plate the Umpqua at Trella Vineyards.
• Kuma’s Table at Rainbow Kitchen.
• Roseburg Country Club with Better Together.
• Abacela Vineyards and Winery.
• North Forty.

Organizers said more participants will be announced.

Along with the tastings, visitors will have a chance to share their experiences buying and eating local food. The event is part of the Douglas County Food System Assessment, led by Umpqua Valley Farm to School and Thrive Umpqua.

Short questions will be posted at host locations along the route. Guests who answer every question will be entered into a raffle for prizes from local businesses. Organizers will use the responses to help identify obstacles to accessing local food and ways to better connect farms, restaurants, and residents.

The idea for Taste of the Umpqua came out of Thrive Umpqua’s 2025 Longest Table gathering, where residents shared a meal and discussed projects that could improve community health. Attendees selected it as one of their top five projects, awarding it $9,000 in micro-grant funding.

Thrive Umpqua Executive Director Jess Hand said the event gives residents an opportunity to meet local food producers and explain what would make food access easier.

Umpqua Valley Farm to School Executive Director Erin Maidlow said the October event also coincides with Farm to School Month, offering an opportunity to recognize farmers who supply food to local children and the wider community.

Funding comes from the Oregon Food Bank’s FEAST program, which stands for Food, Education, Agriculture, Solutions Together, along with the Longest Table micro-grant.

Tasting guides and maps will be available at Rainbow Kitchen/Umpqua Grown Food Hub, 736 SE Cass Street. The event is free and open to the public.

Residents who cannot attend can still contribute to the assessment by completing the community food survey.