Marisela and Felix Sierra took a plunge a little over a year or so ago to keep a long time family business in Muskegon open. Navarro's had been where Marisela grew up working with her family most of her life and as she grew, she ventured out into the "working world" to learn and grow. As time marches on, it came down to the family business closing for good or, someone stepping up to take over. Deep thought....long conversations, belief, faith and teamwork told the couple that it was up to them to continue the family legacy. Navarro's re-opened to an amazing reception and is working to grow in both what they serve at their take out location just off Sherman in Muskegon Heights as well as their offerings for quick serve ready to eat meals that you can take home. To have watched the reemergence of this business fueled by such an incredible young family has been a joy!
With that reopening, comes a lot of leg work and getting out to spread the message. Felix is back running the kitchen and Mari has become the most incredible advocate for not only her family business, but other culinary endeavors as well as women owned business, minority owned business and let's not leave out one big part...Muskegon owned business. She's a force and represents all of the aforementioned exquisitely. Mari sent over an email and said, "Hey, here are some tips for Taste of Muskegon to help people navigate the festival easier". The reply was "Could we talk a little more?" It's our humble honor to welcome our newest contributor to the Muskegon Channel...Marisela Sierra. Mari's first story begins now and we slipped in the welcome while she was tipping off viewers as to how to best spend your time enjoying Taste of Muskegon June 10-11th! Here's Mari's write up and video!
5 Tips for Tackling Taste of Muskegon
By Marisela Sierra, Owner of Navarro’s Mexican Take-out May 31, 2022
Taste of Muskegon is a free-admission outdoor food festival held in downtown Muskegon from June 10-11th. The event shows off the best of what the Muskegon food scene has to offer and an abundance of events and activities for the entire family. Though Taste of Muskegon is not new to town, I encounter more and more people who have never been. Check out these 5 tips to help you maximize your Taste experience and save time in line.
Tip 1: Visit the Taste of Muskegon Website
The Taste of Muskegon website (www.tasteofmuskegon.org/) is your one-stop-shop for all things Taste-related. Here you will find the schedule of the event, a list of vendors, their menus, and an FAQ page.
Tip 2: Determine Your Must-See Vendors
Browse the menus on the Taste of Muskegon website and decide what restaurants are your must-see spots. Taste is a great way to do just that, “Taste” what Muskegon has to offer. Plan on
getting a little adventurous with your pallet, but be sure to hit up your tried-and-true favorites as well.
Tip 3: Stock Up on Tickets
All of the vendor menus will have the ticket price of their items, this will help you gauge how many tickets you need to buy. Plan ahead to avoid standing in line multiple times for tickets.
Tip 4: View the Map
Shortly before the event, the Taste of Muskegon organizers will post a map showing where the vendors are located. This is key! Mark where your must-see vendors are located to create your plan of attack.
Tip 5: Divide and Concur
Taste of Muskegon is a great time, especially with a friend or two. However, standing in line is not.
Since you already know your must see vendors, planned on specific items, and have tickets in hand, you may want to consider splitting up to save time in lines. Less time in lines equals more time eating!
Bonus Tip - Have a blast!
Taste of Muskegon is certainly known for the great food, but don’t forget about all the entertainment and activities for all ages. The evening concerts are always incredible and the beer tent helps too. Have a blast and thank you for supporting your local Muskegon restaurants!
It's our honor and privilege to welcome Mari to what we do and to our audience, her understanding of the Muskegon Culinary scene will be invaluable. Meeting the restaurateurs, food truck owners and the shops that provide the tastes we all love is going to be fun, but more importantly meeting the people that run them and what drives them to be successful is the focus. Hospitality and the food industry are hard, demanding jobs and to learn more about the passion and dedication that goes into the taste.....who better than Mari to bring it? A Lunch Date with Mari is coming soon to the Muskegon Channel online, on demand for Roku and Amazon Fire TV and on the Muskegon Channel App! Stay tuned as an already launched rocket brings a few more along with her! We're so thankful for you Mari!
