Brightly colored leis and balloons were a buoyant backdrop for guests who enjoyed dishes from eight local restaurants Sept. 23 at the Taste of Federal Way.

Judges awarded first place to K.C. Deez BBQ for their pulled pork sliders. They’ve placed before in years past, but this is their first time taking home the gold from the judges’ table. Mama Stortini’s Tuscan chop chop salad and East India Grill’s butter chicken and basmati rice tied for second place. A last-minute withdrawal of one restaurant led to East India Grill having two entries, and they also won third place for their mango yogurt drink, in a tie with Jimmy Mac’s Roadhouse for their island shrimp slider with Hawaiian mac salad.

“I actually had to order two extra trophies!” Events Director Rose Ehl said of the double tie at this year’s event.

Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang/The Mirror Guests voted for their favorite restaurant at The Taste of Federal Way. The event concludes with awards given by judges as well as for People’s Choice, based on votes dropped in these boxes throughout the day.

Each restaurant partners with a nonprofit, so East India Grill’s quick save helped make sure that the Pacific Christian Academy could stay in the running for the grand prize.

The island theme showed itself through the decorations and entertainment. Audience members danced to One Island Drop, who performed a variety of music including some reggae style covers of pop songs.

Audience members also got to participate in the Federal Way High’s Pacific Islander Club performances. Shadrach Lautalo, the group’s dance instructor, led a Samoan call and response, and guests got the chance to lafo during the Samoan dances. Lafo is the practice of placing money on the ground or even throwing it in the air above dancers as they perform to show respect for their skill. The final dance was the Taualuga and brought cheers and an extra shower of money.

The wind got to lafo too, scattering the bills and sending audience members to scramble to help collect and return them.

Federal Way’s Got Talent winner Aimee Vanessa Coronado Bravo also performed, singing two songs. She received her trophy and shared her excitement about her upcoming trip to Albania as part of her new role in the Peace Corps.

Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang /The Mirror Federal Way’s Got Talent winner Aimee Vanessa Coronado Bravo also performed.

This is the fifth year of Taste of Federal Way, which had the biggest turnout yet. Ehl shared that “close to 1,000” guests attended. Guests were moving through the restaurants and picking up their selection of tasty options as soon as the event began, and even a small downpour an hour before closing didn’t deter guests who were excited to get their meal.

Those in line were undaunted and stayed to get plates full while those who already had food found shelter. Many retired to their cars or ducked under the canopies of obliging market vendors. Some who had finished their meal even used their cardboard trays to shield themselves.

Due to the rain, several awards could not be given out. Voting boxes were a little less resilient than the guests to the fall downpour and needed more work than usual to count. A followup awards ceremony will take place at the Federal Way Farmers Market on Sept. 30. Awards to be given include People’s Choice, Best Decorated Booth and Most Ticket Sales. Total funds raised for local organizations through the event will also be announced soon.

Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / The Mirror A member of the Federal Way High School’s Pacific Islander Club stars as the main dancer in the Taualuga dance.

The practice of lafo brought money raining down during the Taualuga dance as the finale of the Federal Way High School Pacific Islander Club’s performance. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang/ The Mirror

Community members cheer for the performers who represented the Federal Way Pacific Islander Club with dances. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang/ The Mirror

Federal Way High School Pacific Islander Club dancers performed a variety of dances that guests enjoyed as they sampled the flavors of Federal Way. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang /The Mirror

A local baseball player cheers on members of the Federal Way High School Pacific Islander Club dancers by participating in lafo during one of the dances. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang /The Mirror

The Federal Way High School’s Pacific Islander Club performed at the Taste of Federal Way. The first dance was a solo performance of a Tahitian dance. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang /The Mirror

Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang/The Mirror After receiving their portions of food from each restaurant, attendees passed the Waste Management booth on their way to find a seat. Here they had the chance to learn about food storage, take home a free compost bin or spin for a quiz and prizes.

Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang for The Mirror Event attendees danced to the music of One Island Drop during the Taste of Federal Way.

One Island Drop performed to a crowd at Saturday’s Taste of Federal Way event. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang /The Mirror

Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang/The Mirror Restaurants competed for the honor of an award for their food, but also went above and beyond decorating their booths hoping to win a prize. FUSION’s Poverty Bay Cafe chose colorful balloons to welcome guests to their booth where they dished out biscuits and gravy.