CityPlace West Palm Beach By Related Ross Celebrates Inaugural Taste of West Palm, Presented By DoorDash

West Palm Beach, FL - West Palm Beach’s culinary community came together at CityPlace on Friday, October 16, as Related Ross hosted the inaugural Taste of West Palm Beach presented by DoorDash, welcoming 800 guests for a sold-out evening spotlighting the restaurants, chefs and culinary leaders defining the city’s dining culture.

30 restaurants from across West Palm Beach participated in the first citywide edition of the festival, transforming CityPlace into an open-air celebration of food, cocktails and entertainment. The event marked an evolution of the former Taste of CityPlace, expanding beyond the neighborhood for the first time to bring together talent from across the city while raising $300,000 for the Palm Beach County Food Bank.

The weekend began Thursday evening with an intimate kickoff at the Related Ross Experience Center before culminating in Friday’s main festival, where thousands of bites and pours were served throughout the night alongside chef demonstrations, live entertainment, interactive installations and special programming from the event’s partners.

Participating restaurants reflected the range of West Palm Beach’s dining landscape, from longtime local favorites to some of the city’s most anticipated new arrivals. The lineup included Moody Tongue Sushi, Maman, Fuku, Moxies West Palm Beach, estiatorio Milos, Galley, Ela Curry & Cocktails, Mango Mercado, El Camino, Eataly, Felice, PopUp Bagels, Hive Bakery & Café, True Food Kitchen, Malka, Harry’s, Adrienne’s, BuddhaBerry, The Blue Door, Del Mar, Kitchen Restaurant, The Ben Hotel, Sloan’s and more.

Attendees were also able to enjoy a first taste of London-based Los Mochis, which just announced it’s set to open its first U.S. outpost in West Palm Beach in 2027.

“The culinary scene has become an essential part of West Palm Beach’s identity and continued growth,” said Webber Hudson, Executive Vice President, Retail Leasing and Asset Management at Related Ross. “What made Taste of West Palm Beach so special was seeing so many of the people behind that momentum together in one place. As Related Ross continues to invest in the fabric of West Palm Beach, we want to create opportunities that champion local businesses, introduce people to what is happening across the city and contribute to the sense of connection that makes West Palm Beach such an exciting place to be.”

The celebration began one night earlier, when 150 guests gathered at the Related Ross Experience Center for an invitation-only evening offering a closer look at the people and concepts shaping the next chapter of West Palm Beach.

At the center of the evening was a conversation moderated by journalist Carson Griffith with Kenneth Himmel, CEO of Related Ross; Claudia Lezcano, CEO of Fuku; and Markus Thesleff, CEO of Thesleff Group. The group discussed the evolution of West Palm Beach as a hospitality destination, what is attracting leading restaurant and lifestyle concepts to the region and the opportunities they see ahead for the city.

The conversation came to life through a series of hands-on culinary and lifestyle moments throughout the Experience Center. Eataly invited guests behind the process with an interactive pasta-making station, while Los Mochis presented a tasting experience of their menu, and Medium Cool brought flavors of its celebrated Miami bar to West Palm Beach. Renowned Asian-fusion restaurant, Blackbird brought a signature chocolate activation for guests to indulge in the sweet stuff, Tijon hosted custom perfume-making, and Regalya China provided curated gifts for attendees to take home.

By Friday evening, the focus shifted outdoors as CityPlace came alive with tasting stations, music, cocktails and entertainment stretching throughout the destination.

Rather than experiencing the city one reservation at a time, guests were able to move through more than 30 of West Palm Beach’s restaurants in a single evening, discovering new openings alongside familiar favorites and meeting many of the chefs and teams behind them.

Event partners added another layer to the evening. DoorDash transformed the CityPlace lawn into a VIP retreat featuring handcrafted cocktails, dedicated lounge seating and a signature photo moment.

Ferrari and Eataly teamed up for a unique, F1-inspired “60-Second Pit Stop to Italy,” bringing Italian culinary excellence and motorsport energy together in an immersive experience. Every hour, servers dressed in custom Formula 1-inspired suits made a choreographed entrance from Eataly’s kitchen, weaving through Ferrari’s iconic car displays with bespoke trays inspired by a racetrack. Each timed pit stop featured a different course, transforming the Ferrari showcase into a theatrical dining experience that celebrated the best of Italian craftsmanship, performance, and hospitality.

“Seeing the inaugural Taste of West Palm Beach come to life at CityPlace was an incredible moment for our team,” said Eileen Sturgis, Senior Director of Marketing at Related Ross. “There was such an energy throughout the evening — guests discovering restaurants they hadn’t tried before, chefs connecting with one another and people experiencing CityPlace in an entirely new way. We set out to create something that felt distinctly West Palm Beach, and the enthusiasm from our restaurants, partners and community exceeded what we could have imagined for our first year.”

The celebration also translated into meaningful impact for the surrounding community. One hundred percent of the event ticket proceeds benefited the Palm Beach County Food Bank. Taste of West Palm Beach raised $50,000 for the Palm Beach County Food Bank, and The Related Ross Foundation matched that amount, bringing the total grant to $100,000 to help provide nutritious food and essential resources to individuals and families throughout Palm Beach County throughout the holiday season. In addition, Bank of America presented the Palm Beach County Food Bank with a $200,000 Neighborhood Builders grant, along with local leadership development training for the organization.  “Our local nonprofits are crucial to promoting economic opportunity and addressing local challenges in Palm Beach County," said Fabiola Brumley, president, Bank of America Palm Beach County. “This grant will help Palm Beach County Food Bank address critical needs and create lasting change for individuals and families in our communities.”

The partnership reflects Related Ross’ broader commitment to investing in the people and organizations that contribute to the fabric of West Palm Beach, while using major community moments like Taste of West Palm Beach to generate support beyond the event itself.

With its inaugural year, Taste of West Palm Beach established a new platform for the city’s culinary community bringing restaurants, residents, visitors and hospitality leaders together while offering a snapshot of the creativity and momentum shaping West Palm Beach today.

Following the success of its inaugural year, Taste of West Palm Beach will return in October 2027.

For more information on CityPlace and upcoming events, visit www.cityplace.com or follow @cityplacewestpalm on Instagram.

ABOUT RELATED ROSS
Related Ross is a fully integrated real estate company investing in South Florida’s, with more than $10B planned in investment across Palm Beach County. The firm advances thoughtfully designed developments through public-private partnerships that strengthen business ecosystems, expand attainable housing, support world-class healthcare, enhance educational opportunities from K-12 through higher education, and cultivate innovation hubs. Related Ross also curates entertainment programming and thought-leadership initiatives that position the region as a national destination for ideas and experiences.

Its portfolio spans mixed-use, Class AA lifestyle office, luxury residential, affordable housing, city centers, hotels and hospitality, and vibrant public spaces, each designed to anchor lasting economic vitality in the communities it proudly calls home. Through the Related Ross Foundation, the company is deeply committed to equitable growth that expands access to education, employment, and cultural opportunity.

ABOUT CITYPLACE
CityPlace, developed, owned and managed by Related Ross, is the vibrant city center of West Palm Beach. Anchored by Equinox, Eataly and Perigold, the district blends dining, retail, marquee events, entertainment and culture into a dynamic destination that inspires connection and discovery. With direct access to the Brightline train, and home to the Related Ross Office Collection and The Laurel, the company’s first luxury residential rental, CityPlace offers an integrated environment that brings together the best experiences in living, working and enjoying life in the heart of West Palm Beach. For more information about CityPlace, please visit www.cityplace.com.