OPENING DAY OF TASTE UNLIMITED IN HILLTOP WEST, 1973.
BORN FROM A CRAVING TO BRING THE BEST FOOD TO HAMPTON ROADS.
When Peter Coe opened the first TASTE UNLIMITED as a wine & cheese shop in Virginia Beach in 1973, he set a course to invigorate the Coastal Virginia palate. Multiple generations of loyal fans have now embraced the opportunity to TASTE the Good Life.
In 2006, the Coe family passed stewardship of this iconic local business to the Pruden family, with their own rich history in the specialty food business as curers and packers of Virginia country hams for three generations. Through a senior management team with a combined 100 plus years in the trade, the business has been re-imagined as a contemporary and dynamic specialty food company, and the TASTE Family of Businesses has grown to include many unique businesses.
At the end of 2024, we proudly became a 100% employee-owned company through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This milestone ensures that the people who bring TASTE to life each day—our team members—share directly in the success they help create.
Today each traditional TASTE location is part specialty foods market and part upscale café offering made to order salads, sandwiches & soups; small batch, from scratch housemade prepared & packaged foods; boutique wines & craft beers; specialty food & gift items and culinary events.
All of these endeavors are united by our mission to Cultivate Community through The Good Life, with an unmatched guest experience offered in authentically local spaces that inspire the good life every day.
TASTE Pungo opens in south Virginia Beach.
Chase Kopp is appointed president and CEO of the TASTE Family of Businesses. Kopp is the youngest president in TASTE’s history, bringing a fresh perspective to leadership. Jon Pruden transitions to the role of Executive Chairman.
TASTE becomes 100% employee owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
TASTE Family of Businesses CEO Jon Pruden is elected Chairman of the Board of the Specialty Food Association.
Rowena’s Cakes and Drizzles joins the TASTE Family of Businesses — a legacy we continue to celebrate through our TASTE Bakehouse bundt cakes and signature drizzles.
TASTE Town Center opens as the fourth TASTE location in Virginia Beach.
TASTE Westhampton opens as the first location outside of Hampton Roads.
Cuisine and Company joins the TASTE Family of Businesses and later evolves into TASTE Catering & Events, which today specializes in elevated, drop-off Specialty Catering.
TASTE is featured in Architectural Digest as Virginia’s Most Beautiful Independent Store.
After a six year absence, TASTE returns to Ghent at its current location.
The TASTE Bakehouse launches, providing original, made-from-scratch baked goods to the TASTE Family of Businesses.
Headquarters Moves to Virginia Beach. The location includes the TASTE Kitchen, Warehouse & Corporate Offices.
The TASTE Family of Business is established, bringing multiple culinary worlds under one roof.
Peter Coe is inducted posthumously into the Specialty Food Hall of Fame.
TASTE Harbour View opens in Suffolk in the Riverfront Shoppes.
TASTE UNLIMITED rebrands as TASTE. The Good Life is born.
TASTE UNLIMITED is recognized nationally as an "Outstanding Retailer" by the Specialty Food Association & both TASTE and Rowena's are recognized as a "Retailer of the Year" by the local Retailer Network.
TASTE expands to the Peninsula, opening TASTE City Center in Newport News.
Father and son Peter & Jon Pruden purchase TASTE UNLIMITED. Peter Coe continues in the business until his death in 2011.
TASTE Greenbrier opens in Chesapeake.
Rowena Fullinwider opened Rowena's with her trademark delicacy - the sinfully good almond pound cake she made from an old family recipe.
TASTE Oceanfront store opens at its current address at 36th & Pacific.
TASTE Bayville Farms store opens at the former Bayville Farms Dairy Farm on Shore Drive in Virginia Beach.
Louise Nagourney opened her retail shop, Pasta & Company, which would later morph into the area's premier caterer, Cuisine & Co.
TASTE UNLIMITED is founded by Peter Coe at Hilltop West in Virginia Beach.