Restaurants warm up the ovens for 2017 Taste of Hoover

Dedra Miele opened her Nothing Bundt Cakes store in the Whole Foods Market Plaza in Riverchase in January, but she still has people come in every day, saying they didn’t realize she was there.

So she’s eager to be a part of the sixth annual Taste of Hoover event at Aldridge Gardens on Thursday, Oct. 12, so people can sample her cakes and see what all she has to offer, Miele said.

She’s planning to have samples of her top four best-selling flavors: chocolate chocolate chip, light chocolate raspberry, red velvet and lemon, she said.

Attendees at the Taste of Hoover also will get to sample goods from about 30 other Hoover restaurants and catering companies, said Tynette Lynch, the CEO at Aldridge Gardens.

Another first-time participating restaurant is the Metro Diner in Inverness. Other participants will include Back Forty Beer, Bunch Bakeshop, Coca-Cola, Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes, Five Star Catering, Fried Green Tomatoes, Galleria Woods retirement community (desserts), Gourmet Pantry Catering, Happy Catering, International Wines, Jake’s Soul Food Café, Jefferson State Community College Culinary Institute, Jim ‘N Nick’s, Kathy G Catering Co., Merk’s Tavern and Kitchen, Newk’s Eatery, Royal Cup, Savoie Catering, Spoon and Ladle, Swamp Monster BBQ, Taziki’s Mediterranean Café, The Boot at The Grove, The Cajun Cleaver and The Whole Scoop.

Guests also will be entertained with live music, Lynch said. The event lasts from 5 to 8 p.m. About 300 people attended last year’s event, which raised about $8,000 for the gardens, she said.

Tickets are $40 for members of the gardens and $45 for non-members and can be purchased at aldridgegardens.com. A limited number of tickets will be sold in an effort to prevent running out of food, Lynch said.

The Hoover Sun is a sponsor of Taste of Hoover.

This article was updated at 1:56 p.m. on Oct. 5 to correct the name of Merk's Tavern & Kitchen.