Yelptucky Derby

So embarrassingly late with this review, but I am clinging to the «better late than never» philosophy. Wow — this event was HUGE! Tons of vendors and food and TONS of people! Honestly, it was a little overwhelming but definitely impressive. I was very excited to see a table for Wimauma as this has been on my «To Try» list for a very long time. Yummy fried chicken on a little biscuit drizzled with maple syrup and a smoked sausage dish that was wonderful. I had heard many people say Green Iguana did their all time favorite burgers so I had high expectations for the slider I sampled. It was good, but a little on the dry side — perhaps due to being prepared and brought to the site.
I was excited to see Pelagia Trattoria, as I’d had the chance to do a business lunch there and was very impressed. Amazing cheesy truffly pasta and an heirloom tomato salad that nearly made my eyes roll back in my head. Hula Bay had some amazing sushi offerings and a lovely presentation. Fred’s market offered up some wonderful salmon with a corn casserole which was very tasty. Overall, quite the fancy event and one I won’t soon forget!

Had a blast at Unilocaltucky Derby. I really never would have been down by Riverview too much so it was nice to get to visit a place that I would have never known was there.
I loved how this was something to raise money for the Humane Society. I do love animals and that was very super special and definitely worth it.
I tried all of the different options that we had available to us, and that definitely was remarkable, and I greatly appreciated all the work put in to the event.
My without a doubt favorite was Pellagio Trattoria. Good job on being so awesome. Your three options were remarkable and super memorable. In addition, the guy working the table was pretty eye candy as well lol. The tomatoes with balsamic glaze and cheese were oh my god amazing that I could not stop going back for that as well as the berries with crème. Hula Bay’s sushi was a wonderful treat as well as the Rum Punch. I really loved everyone but those were the ones that stand out most to me.
The band was amazing and left me so happy.
All of the company there was wonderful and I had a blast.
Thanks to all that were involved. You guys are awesome.
I do wish there were more options to sit, or tables. My poor arm had to get muscle cream bc I was holding my heavy derby hat and juggling my drink and little plates. Yes, my poor hat was quite heavy lol.
Bathrooms and your slow flow of water, not cool, but I know that will be ironed out.
All in all, yet again, a blast.

This was my first Unilocal party and my husband and I went all out. I was impressed with how many people dressed up and was so glad we did! We had a blast. Lots of laughs and making new friends and meeting up with old ones.
The venue was great, food and drinks were amazing and the music and atmosphere was fabulous! Great way to break us into Unilocal.So glad we went! Great job Brett and all those behind the scenes. Working in the event planning field myself, I know all the work that goes on. Kudos to everyone for pulling off such an successful event!!!

The biggest bash yet!
I thought the Kentucky Derby theme was so cool, and was pleased to see so many fun floppy hats and bow ties! How fun!
I also loved that the suggested donation went to the Humane Society. I wish every entrance fee I should ever have to pay would go to a charity. This is how Unilocal improves the world!
Right away, my husband and I were blown away by the size of the party and the beautiful venue! How lovely was that brick walkway lit by overhead string lights?!
We made our way into the main event area and began to explore the fabulous offerings; such as, Hula Bay’s fresh sushi; Wimauma’s unique spin on fried okra; Acropolis’ huge portions; Parksdale Farms’ divine strawberry cookie, and EATS savory fresh chips!
The hit of the night came from Pelagia Trattoria. Their House made Porcini mushroom pasta with black truffle brandy cream sauce. It was beyond divine! We went back for seconds — not gonna lie about it!
Both bands, Phase 5 and Between Bluffs were fantastic! I will be keeping an eye out for them in the future. The Mojo photo booth was a fun suprise! My husband and I love filling our fridge with photo booth film strips, and now we have a Unilocal event to add to the collection! This is how Unilocal improves my life!
Thanks so much to Brett N. for all his hard work arranging Unilocal’s biggest event of the year! My (non Unilocaler) husband and I continue to be impressed by the size and professional caliber of the Unilocal events, and I am so grateful to be a part of the fun!

Shout out to Unilocal and Brett for organizing such a great event!!!
Highlights:
Pelagia Trattoria — everything they served was amazing! Homemade pasta and the tomato=super nummy, fresh berries and cream=mmmmm.
The sushi vendor — can’t remember the name of the place but their tempura shrimp rolls with crab were totally addictive! Great CA rolls too. I would have parked myself there for most of the night if there was less traffic ;)
The Corner Store — awesome bean salad, pimento cheese, and cucumber finger sandwich. And the organic Tarragon from the gift bag will be much appreciated in the near future.
One thing I would recommend for the vendors for next time — be a little more proactive in marketing — better signage, greet the customer and tell them the name of your restaurant and what you are serving, basically promote yourself!!! I had to ask every vendor what they were serving, who they were, etc. and as you can tell, now I can’t remember some of the names of my favorites!
Also, some of the vendors that you typically see at a Costco (Pretzel Crisps) could have been moved outside as the space was limited inside — save the inside space for vendors that need electricity to prepare their offerings. Not knocking Pretzel Crisps — I love them and the groovy bag, but I was totally focused on real food.
Oh yeah, more and bigger trash cans would have been very helpful.

What a party! I have been waiting for this event since it was first announced. Having lived in Kentucky and experiencing horse racing first hand it was nice to feel like I was back «home» for the night. Everyone looked wonderful and I’m glad so many people dressed the part.
The Winthrop Barn Theatre is a very unique venue. It was decorated beautfiully. There were so many vendors! I did not have a chance to visit every vendor but the ones I did were wonderful. My favorite was the mini burgers from Green Iguana. Yum, yum, yum! I never knew they had such great food. I will definitely be paying them a visit soon. Acropolis was also very good. The portion was huge!
Big shout out to the bartending staff. They were slammed at first but props to them for figuring it out. I loved that they walked around passing out drinks. They were also serving Summer Shandy! Such a great selection. Towards the end of the night we got our hands on Mint Juleps. Wow! They were phenomenal.
The photohbooth was a blast. I kept missing the flash but it was so much fun. We went through the line a second time to try to redeem ourselves. I ran into so many familiar faces. It’s always nice when you finally put a face to someone you’ve been chatting with online. Meeting new people is one of my favorite parts of these events.
Huge thanks to all of the vendors. And huge thanks to Brett. I can only imagine what all goes into planning an event like this. I think it went off with flying colors! I was sad for the night to end.

I mean, do other cities have Unilocal events that are consistently awesome? I may never move from Tampa for this reason alone.
I could see the Busch Gardens Stilt Walkers from the road… which was fun. They greeted guests with much enthusiasm! The venue was cool– I hadn’t been sure what to expect. It has a great atmosphere for events.
The indoor area was a little crowded with the food vendors– it just took a little patience to make your way around… but it was worth it. My favorite item of the night was the Green Iguana burgers!!!
While the bar line was long at first (when is it not?!), they quickly solved that issue when they started walking around the event and handing out beer and wine.
Phase 5 was awesome– provided the perfect background music for the event without being obtrusive.
I do wish some of the vendors had been set up outside– that walkway with the overhead lights was really cool. Would have also alleviated some of the crowding inside– and maybe left room for some cocktail tables– i had a hard time juggling all my plates and drinks :)
Also the trash situation was kinda a disaster– at one point I looked for 5 minutes for a trash can to put my plate in.
I did take advantage of the Unilocal photo booth. I am a fan of these :)
Overall, I think another successful Unilocal event. Thanks Brett!

You know there’s more than enough food at an event when I can’t eat all of it…
I hit a food wall about half way in and had to stop eating. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try everything, but what I did try was great. My favorite food of the night was the salmon from Fred’s Market, burger from Green Iguana (WOW! I have been missing out), the mushroom pasta from Pellagia, and the Hawaiian roll from Hula Bay. I also have to give a shout out to the Enjoi food truck… red velvet cupcakes and the sweet potato pie were ballin’.
This was definitely a successful event in that I was exposed quite a few restaurants I have never been to, but will definitely be checking out now after trying their excellent food.
Bartenders were VERY generous with the wine, my cup was filled to the brim every time.
I LOVED the photo booth. After my friends and I didn’t understand the concept that 4 pictures were being taken, we were allowed to go a second time. The first set of pictures turned out way funnier though since we look clueless in all of them.
Music by Phase 5 was awesome as usual.
I love the outdoor area with the lights. I can only imagine how nice it would be to have a wedding reception here and set up tables under the beautiful lights.
I was especially impressed with Chef Gary and Amy (who own Winthrop Barn/​Wimauma), who were able to work the room as well as keep things running smoothly. Both of them stopped to chat with my group a few times, and Gary was even nice enough to go retrieve Wimauma shirts for us in the sizes we needed (I’ve been needing a shirt with a pig on it… don’t we all?).
As others mentioned there were a few logistical issues. The flow could have been better (more vendors outdoors) and at one point I caught myself complaining that I couldn’t find a trash can but then I remembered 1) this isn’t my wedding or some other event I had been planning myself for ages 2) I’m not paying for any of it. When it’s free and other people have worked tirelessly to put it on, let’s all be a little more forgiving! The customer service was phenomenal, and you could tell all of the vendors were having a great time chatting with Unilocalers.
Can’t wait to see what the 2014 Unilocal annual party will hold. Thanks to Brett, Carlos, Gary & Amy and all of the vendors for a great Friday night out!

A fantastic night at the races, and tremendous fun for all who attended the Unilocaltucky Derby at the Winthrop Barn Theater in Riverview. This was the Tampa Bay area’s efforts to join in the fun for next weekend’s Kentucky Derby in Churchill Downs, KY.
The «Greatest Two Minutes in Sports» was well represented by the greatest couple of hours of Unilocal partying from our local crew. Brett and Carlos truly deserve the garland of roses and a cool mint julep as they kick back and reflect on the success of this event.
To begin, the guys invited the ENTIRE local Unilocal community to join with us on Friday evening. This was not an exclusive Unilocal Elite event, or a small unofficial gathering of Unilocal friends… Nope, the invitations were open to everyone on a space-​available basis. Everyone was treated to free admission, free food, free drinks, and free fun for the entire evening.
We were told to plan to Party with a Purpose, and to Dress to Impress for this event, and everyone went all out by wearing fancy dresses, outrageous Derby hats, and coordinating outfits for the guys. There were so many great outfits, but I have to give props to my friend Rachel M. for her amazing Derby hat complete with the big pink flamingo on top. No doubt, the best-​dressed guy was Brett himself in his dapper Derby boy outfit. Great job by everyone!
There were a number of vendors set up outside the venue including a food truck with these sinfully-​delicious Red Velvet cupcakes, our good friends from Busch Gardens, and the local Humane Society (among others). Inside the barn there were dozens more vendors, and the lines grew very quickly as people escaped the muggy Florida heat to stay in the air conditioning and sample even more food and drink.
All of the vendors were tremendous, and it was great fun to sample their food and drink, and then stand there and chat with them. They very much appreciated the immediate feedback from the diners, and we certainly enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the various chefs and owners. There was a great selection of appetizers, main course, desserts, wine, beer, and mixed drinks — again, everything was free for all.
Sure, the lines were long, and I’m sure there are things they will improve for future events, but it’s mighty hard to argue with a free night out on the town.
It was great fun visiting with so many Unilocal friends, and I am embarrassed to admit that I did not recognize everyone in person… although I did look at all of my friends’ profile pictures this morning and realized that I missed the opportunity to say hi simply because I didn’t know who you were. My bad!
Thanks again to Brett, Carlos, and all of the vendors that participated in the Unilocaltucky Derby!

First thank you Brett for organizing and hosting this awesome event for the benefit of Humane Society! I have been driving by The Winthrop Barn Theatre in Riverview for some time and was excited to finally get to visit! The décor was amazing; I loved the white lights along the pathway. This was my first Unilocal Event, I look forward to more I had a BLAST! I was very hesitant about dressing for the event. David Milligan talked me into dressing up in Derby Garb and I was sure glad he did. I was happy to see many women in beautiful dresses with outrageously gorgeous hats! The guys looked even hotter in their Derby finest outfits, with more accessories than most the women (lol). It led to natural easy conversations between Unilocalers.
Next huge props to the bartending staff for getting the long line down quickly by bringing out trays (yes trays) of wine and beer. It really helped not having to wait plus added to hospitality. But I must say my favorite drink of the night was the Fried Oreo Martini from Eats American Grill. Jess could not make them fast enough but she did a great job talking, keeping people engaged till she was ready.
Food was marvelous as expected from a first class Unilocal Event. Some of the big hits for the night were Sweets & Co Desserts: red velvet cupcakes Yum!, Green Iguana: Burgers melt in your mouth, Fred’s Market: Corn Casserole OMG!, Toffee To Go: Sweets, Beef o’Brady’s: always a win, Eats American Grill: Oreo Martini made my night. The Corner Store’s had great food samples and giveaways. We plan to visit The Corner Store today to check out more of their food/​products.

The Photo booth from MojoFoto was a big hit. It was fun to pose and ham it up for the photos, then watch others get creative for their photos. Plus it was a great take home memory.
All in all a great event, yes it could have used more seating but there was seating just a short walk from the food. So maybe the more vendors could have been spread out to lead you to the tables in the barn. It was a little crowded but the best events/​bars/​restaurants always are crowded so I expected it to be crowded. I think I would have been sad if it was not crowded. I came home with my belly full, a little tipsy and great swag!!!
Final thought: Please remember to like the vendors on FaceBook, review them and visit their locations. They gave their time, employees, food, alcohol, gift certificates, and swag for us to have fun and benefit the Humane Society.

Props to Brett and props to all the vendors. I’ve read 90% of the reviews on here concerning this event and I feel some of your pain, but I also feel the pain of the vendors. Some of these places don’t cater, so serving food to HUNDREDS of hungry people outside of their kitchens is a foreign concept. So considering how remote the venue was for all the vendors coupled with the expectations of the crowd, I’d say they handled everything great. All the food I had was tasty and I’m glad that Unilocal hosts these yearly events as a way to say «thank you» to all of us. Extra special props to the staff of the Barn. Man, they were grinding away in overdrive to keep everything rolling smoothly. They even carted in a «relief keg» to take off some of the pressure of the staff inside. Then, we saw one poor girl walking around handing out freshly poured beers like a cocktail server. Seriously folks, these people were working hard. Hats off (pun intended).
I wasn’t overly hungry, so I only sampled some of the food, but I can tell you that THE CORNER STORE has some amazing strawberry butter. I can’t wait to slather some of that on a fresh-​baked biscuit. Mmm! MMM! Beef O’Brady’s came thru with a pretty good Cuban. It was missing pernil, but I wouldn’t expect that from Beefs anyway. The sharp Swiss cheese and the tasty deli meats made it an instant hit for me. Who else? Pelagio, you guys are simply amazing. If that truffle cheesy pasta is that good 15 miles away from your restaurant, I’m sold. Where do I sign up? Umm let’s see… Mojo photo booth was a nice touch. I love that you have no idea when the pics will be snapped. Very candid. This would be an awesome idea for parties and weddings. Acropolis, thank you for the delicious salad. You guys have some of the best Greek dressing on the planet. I had a bite of the pasta that someone said tasted like a Lean Cuisine. LOL — that shit’s funny. Admittedly, it kind of did, but I’ve had that dish (chicken Santorini) in the restaurant and I can tell you people, it’s way better and definitely worth eating. Heed my word, folks.
Lastly, Gerry thanks for accommodating everyone’s picture requests. I know sometimes you’ve got to be the aggressor, but that clearly wasn’t the case last night. I saw people interrupting your conversations with, «Hey! Can you get a pic of us?» I guess those fancy hats had everyone feeling photogenic =)
My only piece of constructive criticism was the trash situation. There could have been larger receptacles. Because people couldn’t find a bag to throw their trash in, they just sort of left plates and cups lying around everywhere. But other than that, great freaking event, Unilocal

My first Unilocal event and hopefully not my last. Kudos to all who dressed up in their finest Derby duds, all the beautiful and inspired hats and was surprised to see so many gents in tuxes! Truly made the evening special. We arrived just as it was starting so the lines weren’t bad at all until later. We got to sample most of the food in just the right amount. One of my fav’s was from Fred’s Market. Salmon on top of a corn bread pudding that seemed to melt on your tongue. Yum. The toffee treats from Toffee to go was fantastic as well. Loved the variety of foods from burgers to sushi and pasta’s as well as pretzel chips and my hubby enjoyed the sushi and hot sauces from Fat Cat’s. Also need to mention the delicious pimento from The Corner Store. And of course the drinks! Bar tenders did a fabulous job keeping up with the demand!
The music was a good and I loved that they had the photo booth. Lots of fun! Only complaint was it seemed the staff was a bit overwhelmed and nobody was in charge of garbage patrol. They had small trash bins that filled up quickly were never emptied. The set up probably could have been better as it got overly crowded but we wandered out to where they had tables set up with lots of Unilocal goodies to take home. As it was a bit of a walk from where the food was, most people didn’t wander far from the food area. We got to take home shot glasses, cards, koozies, chapstick, sunglasses etc. Thanks Unilocal and Brett for making it a fun and enjoyable event!

This event was THE BEST! My Unilocaling journey began at last year’s annual event at Datz. Because that event was so awesome, I had high expectations for this one. Well, I’ll be darned, it surpassed my expectations!
First of all, who doesn’t like getting dressed up in a dress and a big floppy hat? It was fun to have an excuse to get all dolled up. I really enjoyed checking out all of the amazing outfits!
The food was AMAZING. My favorite: The salt and pepper okra from Wimauma! I also really enjoyed the sliders from Green Iguana, the boneless buffalo wings from Beef O’ Brady’s, the pasta from Acropolis, and the cookies from the food truck outside. Wow, reading that makes me sound like quit the glutton, but isn’t that what Unilocaling is really all about?
I also have to give mad props to the people working at the booze station. They refilled my wine promptly each time I stopped by and didn’t judge me for coming back for quite a few beverages.
Finally, the atmosphere was great! There was plenty of room to spread out. I liked that they had two different bands playing and that I got to hear both of them through out the night. I personally enjoyed the outside area the most as my derby shoes AKA high heels were hurting my feet and it gave me a chance to sit.
All in all, another fabulous event. It was great to meet even more awesomely fantastic Unilocalers, who I look forward to seeing at the next event. Thanks to Unilocal,Brett, Carlos, Winthrop Barn, and all the wonderful restaurants and vendors that put this event on!

Yay! This was a great event! It was a little overcrowded as it got later, so we left a little bit earlier than we had anticipated. However, we got there a little early, too, so fortunately we got to try everything before it got crowded! There were so many vendors I almost can’t remember what came from where, so ill make this short & sweet & just list my top 2 & bottom 2.
First, the salmon with wilted arugula atop a bed of corn hash was blowin my skirt way up. Best dish of the night! Someone PLEASE jog my memory & tell me the name of that restaurant so I can go back!
Second, Pelagia Trattoria. That pasta! Good lord! Yum! The heirloom tomato bite was tasty too, and I don’t even like tomatoes! Can’t wait to try this restaurant!
I was sadly disappointed in Wimauma. I was excited to see them there, but everything was cold! I know the food would have been good, but their lack of planning was a bummer. Cold chicken atop a cold biscuit. Sad. The flavor was there, but the textures were off because it was allowed to cool. Same with the sausage bite they offered. Lost potential. I’ll still go try them IRL though!
The biggest womp womp of the night was Acropolis. Point for big portions, but it doesn’t really matter when your pasta tastes like a lean cuisine. That was the first thing that popped into my head when I took a bite! Not good. And the hummus. I am so mad at them. You can’t be Greek and serve hummus that tastes like cardboard. Definitely less excited about trying them out IRL & they have a location right up the street from me! I did want to swim in their Greek salad though, so maybe ill go for that!
Individual restaurants aside, Brett, Carlos, & the Unilocal team did a FAAANTASTIC job setting this one up! Much better than the Datz event– food stations work much better than passed apps in a crowd so large! Thanks for the wonderful time & for giving me so many new places to try!

I don’t know where to start! (I’ll say, it’s pretty fitting that this is my 100^th Unilocal review. Hit the triple digits finally!)
Anyways, this was hands down the best time I’ve had at a Unilocal event… if I could give it 6 stars I would!
I’ll make a list of the things I liked (in no particular order):
–The venue… awesome. Spacious, interesting, beautiful with great organized parking. Not too far out from where I live (20 – 30 mins), just perfect!
–The theme… too fun! I felt like I was back in Tennessee partying in college again. People at Vandy dressed like that every day (yeah… umm… that’s the south for ya) and although I am more of a sweats and jordans kind of girl, I kinda missed the southern charm that’s lacking in Florida. My date and I had fun choosing our outfits and got a lot of compliments from friendly strangers.
–The people… wow, are Unilocalers the nicest people ever or what? Literally EVERYONE was cool and super interesting to talk to. I got to meet a few new people in person finally and I want to see everyone again. After meeting some crappy people in Tampa over the past few years I’ve always wondered: where are the cool, fun, smart worthwhile people that I want to be friends with? Answer: Unilocaling!
–The food… YUM. FREE. PLENTIFUL. I tried my best to not go crazy with the eating tonight… that didn’t work. Oh well. I liked everything and the vendors were really great. Thank you to all of you!
–The contest… Okay, I’ll admit I’m not a twitterer. I entered the twitter contest on a whim and got hooked. 20 something annoying tweets later, I won… yay! Except lost in a conversation about finance with a fellow Unilocaler («spend 80%, save 10% and give 10%» was what I learned) — I missed the actual announcement and figured I didn’t win, which was fine. I still had fun and kinda felt bad about tweeting so obnoxiously the past week. Then I found out that I did win… huh? Awesome! I no longer can use «I’m too broke» as an excuse to not go out to dinner for the next few weeks. Instead I can treat my friends to some really cool places! Yay! Thank you Unilocal,Acropolis, Wimauma, Corner Store, Hula Bay, Grillsmith and Lowry Park. So generous and much, much appreciated.
Other things that contributed to a great time include free-​flowing beer (bye bye social anxiety, I’m suddenly talkative and interesting! usually the opposite ha ha) and a great date. I’m also glad that donations went to the Humane Society. As the mom to an adopted furbaby, I think that is an awesome cause (adopt, don’t shop!)… Thank you to Brett, Wimauma and everyone involved. I had a fantastic time!

What a wonderful summertime soirée! Held at The Winthrop Barn Theatre in Riverview, the location was a bit far out, but traffic was a breeze and parking was plentiful. I arrived a bit early and got checked in with daylight to spare.
After checking in, I looked at a few of the outside vendors: Busch Gardens, where I spun the wheel and won some gum, The painting group where I painted a yellow poppy and the Lowry Park Zoo. After checking everyone out, I wandered inside to see what all the hubbub was about.
I was pleased to see that so many people participated in the theme of the event. Lots of ladies (myself included) donned extravagant hats. My favorite by far was the lovely lady with the flamingo on her head. Second to that was the lady in white with the Unilocal symbols all over her hat. Great job. There were also several very dapper gentlemen dressed to the nines in their Tuxedos and tail coats. You all made for an visual feast.
Now lets talk about food! There was so much of it! There was a little bit of everything, from burgers from Green Iguana, to specialty foods brought to us from some really great vendors like 20 Sheckel bread. Toffee, Greek food, Preserves, spices, pretzel crisps, Beef o’Brady’s, and many more laid it out for everyone to sample. Perhaps the best thing to cross my lips was a fried oreo martini. That was SPECTACULAR!
And a special thanks to Tribeca Salon for the bang trim and pop of color they added to my hair. Their stylists and salon folks were extremely personable. I was happy to have new bangs shaped up!
Over all, I thought this was an exciting event to be able to attend. The only reason I could not give it a 5 in stars was the lack of visible trash cans. That would be the biggest piece of feed back I could give, Put out larger, more visible trash cans, especially where people are congregating, out in the walk ways outside and in the Unilocal Swag seating.
I look forward to next years Unilocaltucky Derby! Onward!

Yes this IS as good as it gets.
This event is my first, and I was very impressed. Leaving the friendly confines of Pinellas County, I had to rely on my trusty Garmin to get me across the bridge and beyond, but it was well worth it.
The location, the parking, and the check-​in all were great. My first impression upon arriving was… damn, the Tampa Bay Unilocal women are beautiful and full of style!
The food was absolutely scrumptious. Beef O’Brady’s Cubans, club wraps, and mild/​medium chicken pieces were just what I needed after the long haul.
The Corner Store’s pimiento cheese spread and the cream cheese with cucumber mini sandwich, begs the question… when will you be offering this in bulk? Very good.
On my third swing through the masses, I came upon a pasta delight from Pelagia Trattoria. House made Porcini pasta with black truffle brandy cream sauce. This dish will force me to visit their trattoria very soon.
Sorry, I couldn’t squeeze any more in, other than a few bites of 20 Shekels heavenly breads, Mmmmm.
All said, I enjoyed the whole event. Thank you to Brett and all the volunteers, and vendors who helped to make this a success.

Had a great time! Music was good. Food was good. Drinks were good. Yes, it was a little crowded and it was a bit hot outside, but we’re in Florida, it is what it is! All of the vendors were very friendly and props to the bar staff. The venue was very nice inside, nicely decorated and laid out.
Thanks to Brett, Carlos and everyone else who spent many hours making this event a success.

We had a great time at this event. We decided to dress up and I am so happy that we did. I think the «costumes» helped increased the excitement of the event. We were happy to see that a lot of the other Unilocal patrons were decked out in Derby clothes too. The entire event had a relaxing feel to it. I had several people recognize me from Unilocal and introduce themselves. I also introduced myself to some other people that I know online. We made a lot of new (and awesome!) friends. We also connected with several people that we already knew.
The food vendors and bartenders were all very friendly and eager to please. I stopped by the tables for Pelagia Trattoria, Wimauma, The Green Iguana, Fat Cats, Acropolis and Parksdale Farms throughout the night. The food was delicious! Acropolis filled us up right off the bat with a huge plate of food. Their greek salad was perfect and a nice light start to our night. The chicken pasta was so creamy and flavorful and completely unexpected from a greek restaurant. My Husband even tried (and finished) the hummus that they gave him and he doesn’t like hummus.
A few drinks later, I was in need of something to calm down my buzz and I eyed a little gorgeous burger from The Green Iguana. That burger was so juicy and tender. It was cradled in cheese and topped with a fresh delicious bun. I have no idea what Green Iguana puts in their burgers, but I think it may be crack.
I also enjoyed a delicious Strawberry Cookie from Parksdale Farms. I have heard about these cookies from friends and I have always wanted to try them. It was even better than I imagined. It was really moist and fresh tasting without being too sugary. It actually was the perfect compliment to my Vodka Punch. Ahh the Vodka Punch… very good… very dangerous. I was also happy that they had Leinenkugels summer shandy since it is a favorite of ours. It is always nice to have alcohol options.
I did apparently miss some of the stuff because of the crowd. I never noticed quite a few of the vendors already listed in reviews. I also didn’t make it back to the photo booth like I wanted to for a picture (my Husband is probably happy to have dodged that bullet!).
We stayed until the end and closed the place down. We were then able to talk a little with the owners of Wimauma and the Winthrop Barn Theater. They were really nice and even surprised us with a generous gift. I can’t wait to try out all of the vendors on their own turf and see what all they have to offer. Thanks to Brett and all the Vendors for a great event.

This was my first time experiencing an annual Unilocal event. Wow, Unilocal really pulls out all the stops for these events. I don’t know how you couldn’t be impressed with this event. I was wondering how on Earth they were going to handle the parking for this many people but parking was a breeze. What a great choice for a venue. I loved that the suggested donation went to the Humane Society. The chihuahua’s they had at the check-​in booth were adorable. I almost (stress the word almost) wanted to grab one and take him home with me.
The stilt walkers were absolutely hilarious. Busch Gardens did a great job of picking people with great personalities for that assignment. I spun the wheel for a free prize and ended up winning some funky, green, Busch Gardens flip flops. Those would certainly be a conversation starter!
The ladies went all out with the crazy hats. Everywhere I looked I saw one after another.
The banquet hall was really nicely decorated. There was so much to look at it was almost overwhelming. My first trip inside I only made it to two tables before I had so much food that I had to go outside and finish it before going back inside. The server from Acropolis Greek Taverna was very generous with the portion she gave me of the chicken pasta dish. It was quite good!
It was really fun being able to go around, interact with the vendors, and of course get a free sample of the food they were offering. Special mention to Joi from Enjoi Sweets. She was so gracious and friendly. The sweet potato dessert I got from her was absolutely wonderful. I cannot wait to go try some cupcakes from her store.
All in all it was a great event. Even though it was open to anyone with a Unilocal account I felt fortunate that I was able to take part in it. Thanks for all the hard work organizing this Brett and Carlos!