Roughly 4,000 people turned out for Taste of Keene on Saturday, according to organizers from the Keene Young Professionals Network.
Shadow and Soul Emporium served up elaborate frappes at the 2026 Taste of Keene Saturday.
Vegan Korean meatballs are garnished with herbs at the Monadnock Food Co-Op’s booth at Taste of Keene on Saturday.<\/p>\n
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Roughly 4,000 people turned out for Taste of Keene on Saturday, according to organizers from the Keene Young Professionals Network.
Roughly 4,000 people turned out for Taste of Keene on Saturday, according to organizers from the Keene Young Professionals Network.
Shadow and Soul Emporium served up elaborate frappes at the 2026 Taste of Keene Saturday.
Vegan Korean meatballs are garnished with herbs at the Monadnock Food Co-Op’s booth at Taste of Keene on Saturday.
More than 30 vendors at this year\u2019s Taste of Keene festival made a total of $74,000 in revenue, one of the event\u2019s organizers said.
The annual food festival, which drew an estimated 4,000 people Saturday, showcases local food and drink options that people can sample with tokens, Taste of Keene lead Alana Fiero said. A token costs $2, and items are anywhere from one to three tokens. Organizers take 15 cents per token for setup costs, according to Fiero, and vendors get the remaining $1.85. There are no other fees for vendors to participate.
The festival, now in its sixth year, has grown from a small event in 2021 to a major production generating significant foot traffic \u2014 and money \u2014 in downtown Keene.
And the economic impact of the event goes beyond direct revenue to vendors, Fiero, of The Keene Young Professionals Network, said. Visitors who come for Taste of Keene in the afternoon may stay on Main Street for dinner or a drink.
The average vendor this year made just under $2,000 during the four-hour event, and the top vendor made almost $5,000, Fiero said.
Trumin Nguyen, co-owner of Buba Street Noodle and Bar, said revenue from the festival was about what the restaurant makes on a busy weekday.
\u201cWe honestly didn\u2019t know what to expect, but the support from the community exceeded our expectations,\u201d she wrote in an email.
Noble House Ramen was also one of the newcomers this year. Owner Jared Marsh estimated that Saturday\u2019s booth earned between $1,500 and $2,000. He said the booth sold more than 120 ramen bowls, in addition to the pork rolls and pork belly menu items.
\u201cWe did well, but probably not as well as some of the other places,\u201d he said.
On busy weekends, Marsh said Noble Ramen House\u2019s revenue is double or even triple the sum it made at the festival.
Still, Marsh said the booth on Church Street got a lot of visitors. Staff ran out of food twice, he said, adding that he underestimated the amount of food he\u2019d need for an event of this size.
The festival also gave the ramen house, which opened on Keene\u2019s Davis Street in October, exposure Marsh hopes will translate to new customers.
\u201cThis is huge for our local people who still don\u2019t know about us,\u201d he said.
Prime Roast, which sold cookies and Italian soda on Saturday, made slightly more than Noble Ramen House. Saturday is the coffee shop\u2019s busiest day of the week, and foot traffic at the caf\u00e9 during Taste of Keene was in line with average foot traffic, owner Judy Rogers said. Prime Roast\u2019s booth netted roughly $2,500, or about the revenue from half an average Saturday, according to Rogers. She said the booth sold roughly 300 Italian sodas and 800 to 900 cookies during the event.
Rogers credited the booth\u2019s success to balmy weather and the selection of non-caffeinated drinks and cookies kids and adults could enjoy.
\u201cTaste of Keene brings out a lot of local people but it also brings people from outside the area,\u201d she added. \u201cWe get a really good exposure to potential customers.\u201d
Breaking News and Trending Editor Liora Engel can be reached at 603-355-8543 or lengel@keenesentinel.com<\/a>.<\/em>
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