CROW Cancels Taste of the Islands

provided to The Santiva Chronicle

This year would have marked the 41st year of the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife fundraiser, Taste of the Islands. In brand new format, Taste of the Islands would have been Sanibel and Captiva’s first official restaurant week, where diners could experience everything the beautiful islands have to offer – food, recreational activities, island businesses, and breathtaking resorts. Hurricane Ian changed those plans

With events scheduled throughout the week of Nov. 12-19, CROW planned to feature trolleys on both Saturdays so patrons could enjoy Taste features across the islands. “Our goal was to bring the ‘fun’ people reminisced about from past events on the field back to the Taste event. We are deeply saddened by the collective loss on the island and can only hope we are able to return to Taste in 2023,” says Aimee White, CROW Director of Development and Advancement.

People’s Choice Award, left, and Taste of the Taste trophies were found among the debris of the restaurants which won them last year. Photos provided

Among the islands’ destruction, remnants of the long-running Taste of the Islands event still remain. Last year’s first time Taste of the Taste winner Sanibel Fresh owner Troy Thompson found pieces of the most honored trophy in the damaged restaurant. The coveted coral trophy representing the People’s Choice Award was found in Mudbugs Cajun Kitchen, the consecutive winner of this title. Many Sanibel and Captiva restaurants adorned their walls with Taste of the Islands plaques as memorabilia of past years’ successes in serving the ‘Best Dessert’, ‘Best Seafood’, ‘Best Appetizer’, and more.

“These trophies are a symbol of our islands and our community – battered and broken but not gone. We will embrace our restaurant partners and their staff as we rebuild. These restaurants have supported CROW for decades and we are here for them now and in the future” says Alison Charney Hussey, CROW Executive Director. “Taste will be back, and I am looking forward to reopening of all of our restaurants.”

For more information on how you can offer your services to help Sanibel and Captiva recover and rebuild, send an inquiry to volunteer@mysanibel.com.

To make donations towards Hurricane Ian recovery at CROW, visit the website. Follow us on Facebook (CROW- Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife) and Instagram (@crowclinic) for updates on clinic needs and ways to get involved.

If you find injured, orphaned, or sick wildlife, bring them to BluePearl Pet Hospital, 9500 Marketplace Rd., Fort Myers. If you have any wildlife or operational related inquiries, contact info@crowclinic.org.

About Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW)
Established in 1968, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) is a teaching hospital saving the sick, injured, and orphaned native and migratory wildlife of Southwest Florida and beyond. Through state-of-the-art veterinary care, public education programs, and an engaging visitor center, CROW works to improve the health of the environment, humans, and our animals through wildlife medicine. For more information, or how to donate to hurricane relief efforts, go to www.crowclinic.org. If you find an animal in need of help, please bring them to BluePearl Pet Hospital located at 9500 Marketplace Road in Fort Myers off Daniels Parkway.