ATLANTA, June 5, 2017— Vingenzo’s was awarded the 2017/2018 “100 Plates Locals Love” distinction by Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Tourism Division (GDEcD) as part of its annual list of “100 Plates Locals Love,” which is featured in the state’s culinary guide, Georgia Eats.
“Culinary experiences continue to be one of the top drivers of visitor interest when planning a vacation,” said Kevin Langston, deputy commissioner for tourism at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “Georgia offers visitors unique food and beverage experiences in every corner of the state, and the Georgia Eats guide makes it easy for visitors and locals to discover the many flavors of Georgia.”
The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Tourism Division highlights the state’s culinary greatness in the official guide, Georgia Eats. The Tourism Division creates this informative and inspiring guide to entice visitors to sample the state’s world-class cuisine. Georgia Tourism created “100 Plates Locals Love” as a way to provide visitors with locally sourced suggestions, the same way we would recommend restaurants to our family and friends. As a part of the “100 Plates Locals Love” designation, each restaurant is featured in the Georgia Eats culinary guide, which is distributed via the 12 Visitor Information Centers statewide; on the state’s consumer tourism website ExploreGeorgia.org; and on Explore Georgia’s social media channels.
“I am honored to have one of our dishes chosen as a local favorite,” said Chef Michael Bologna. “This dish represents traditional Italian food in that it is simple and made daily with fresh, local ingredients.” Vingenzo’s mozzarella is made in-house, the Neapolitan pizzas are fashioned from all-Italian ingredients and cooked in a wood-burning oven, and the pastas of every shape and size, strand and spiral, are made fresh daily.
Two other Woodstock restaurants were mentioned in this year’s state culinary guide. Truck & Tap was listed in the Food Truck Flavor Tour. Four pies from Pie Bar were listed in a tour of the state’s beloved bakeries: Salted Caramel Apple Streusel, Blueberry Crumble, Peanut Butter Cream Pie, and Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie.
As part of the state’s culinary initiative, the third annual Georgia Restaurant Week will take place July 17-23, 2017, at participating restaurants throughout Georgia. During this week-long event, patrons will be able to explore the numerous dining options throughout Georgia for a special price and sample locally grown products that are available in Georgia’s restaurants.
This year, more than 750 “plates” were nominated via ExploreGeorgia.org and evaluated by a panel of judges. The third annual list of “100 Plates Locals Love” features favorite dishes from across the state. A dish from a Woodstock restaurant has been featured three years in a row since the inception of the annual list. Copies of Georgia Eats: The Official State Culinary Guide will be available soon at the Woodstock Visitors Center at Historic Dean’s Store.
About GDEcD
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) plans, manages and mobilizes state resources to attract new business investment to Georgia, drive the expansion of existing industry and small business, locate new markets for Georgia products, inspire tourists to visit Georgia and promote the state as a top destination for arts events and film, music and digital entertainment projects.
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