TASTE at Straz Center returns April 18, turning our campus into a gourmand’s theme park. Tampa Bay’s top chefs will be on hand to serve you bites of delight while mixologists conjure new cocktails and craft beers to quench your thirst. Several bands will be playing throughout the evening as well.
TASTE is Tampa’s first and longest-running culinary fundraiser and will feature some of the area’s most celebrated restaurants. TASTE, though, is also a great place for a new establishment to make an impression and, hopefully, draw more diners through its doors.
“TASTE at Straz Center is older than the building!, said Nicole Stickeler, director of special events at Straz. “It is our signature fundraiser that helped raise funds for the campaign to build the then Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Hosted off-site for a couple of years in support of our non-profit, it eventually moved onsite and is an annual tradition you don’t want to miss.”
One eatery making its TASTE debut this year is Dip and Happy. Open about a year, the restaurant became a sensation last summer when its Dubai Chocolate Waffles inspired rapturous praise on social media.
Located just a couple of blocks from Straz at 102 E. Tyler St. in downtown Tampa, Dip and Happy came to be because of Haytham Dwaik always wanting to own a restaurant.
“I love food and I love going to restaurants,” Haytham said. Dinner out gave Haytham a chance to observe what he liked and didn’t like across a broad range of eateries.
However, Haytham’s dream had to confront reality, and the reality was that Haytham lacked one key element for restaurant success.
“I never cooked,” Haytham said. “I was a CPA originally and now I’m financial manager for a cell phone company.”
The dream seemed to be on the permanent back burner until Haytham met Nate Atieh who, like Haytham, dreamed of owning his own restaurant and who, unlike Haytham, had been cooking since his youth and had years of experience in the restaurant business working for First Watch and Cracker Barrel.
Nate also had definite ideas about what he wanted to do in the kitchen. The menu, which is enormous, reflects Nate’s description of his kitchen influences.
“I’ve done a lot of fusion between Middle Eastern and South American and some Italian routes in there as well,” Nate said, “So our food is kind of different, but it has a lot of flavors and people love it.”
Customers have loved Dip and Happy to the point that Haytham and Nate are considering a second location.
What’s in a name? In this one, “Dip” refers to the dipping sauces the restaurant serves with every item. Happy is how they say you’ll feel after eating there.
TASTE at Straz Center begins at 6 p.m., April 18. For tickets or more information, click here.
