Friday in Old Town’s Crescendo store, jars of oils and vinegar covered the walls, spices lined the shelves and a stand of ice cream sat in the back of the store with free samples.
On the third Friday of every month, Crescendo and nine other Fort Collins stores participate in an event called the Foodie Walk. As part of the Foodie Walk, local residents are invited to stroll down the streets of Old Town and sample various types of food, including gluten-free options.
The Crescendo is owned by Lesli Tansky and her husband. According to Tansky, the store has been participating in the Foodie Walk since they opened in April 2013.
Although Crescendo specializes in oils and vinegar, it has plans to sell alcohol starting in at the end of March. Tansky said that the store will sell unique alcoholic beverages.
“It’s stuff that’s made for us, so it’s not going to be name brand,” Tansky said.”We hand label all of our bottles.”
Tansky said she would like to provide alcoholic beverage samples to visitors. However, because of Colorado law, she will only be able to provide four samples and only on certain days.
The Foodie Walk brings out CSU students and their families, according Tansky.
“What we have really found is a positive thing about the Foodie Walk is the CSU students will come out in force,” Tansky said. “During the summer, they come back with their families.”
Some customers were happy about the options available during the Foodie Walk, such as Linda Miller, who said she likes the variety of oils available at Crescendo. According to Miller, the oils provide her son with health benefits, because he will not typically eat vegetables and fruit but will eat Crescendo’s avocado oil.
“We love (the Foodie Walk),” Miller said. “It’s a chance for us to be together as a family and walk through Old Town at night.”
Several employees pointed out how much more busy Foodie Walk nights are than most nights.
“The Foodie Walk Friday has made it kind of bananas,” said Chris Burk, a Crescendo employee and CSU student working on his second bachelor’s degree in nutrition and food science. “There’s been times walking in where we’ve had lines out to the door.”
Kate McFarland, a Crescendo employee, said she is also supportive of the Foodie Walk.
“The Foodie Walk is an awesome way to get a feel of stores downtown,” McFarland said. “It is a good way to honestly bring people down town — and not that it’s that difficult anyways — but it really adds to the Fort Collins feel.”
Collegian Reporter Matt Gindin can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @mgindin1.
