Good food and community spirit can’t help but attract politics, and that will be the case Saturday in East Denver at the fifth annual Taste of Ethiopia Festival at Parkfield Lake Park. The event that draws heavily from metro Denver’s immigrant community – as well as international food and entertainment fans – has also become a mainstay on the campaign trails.

The taste is from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Participating will be five local Ethiopian churches and 15 non-profit organizations with more than 50 small businesses and vendors this year, said (disclosure) my friend Nebiyu Asfaw.

The list of the politicians and public officials expected to show up was still growing Tuesday. Those who had confirmed, so far, Neb said, are:

Neb pointed out that Ricks is Liberian-American, and Laeke is the first Ethiopian-American candidate for office in Aurora.

In my previous job I wrote about the African immigrant community’s steady by significant rise on the Colorado political scene. You can read that story here.

The non-profit Taste of Ethiopia is part of Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s Denver Days celebration to show off the diversity of the metro region.

The Taste of Ethiopia also has been recognized in the congressional record, courtesy of Coffman.

The politics, though, take a back seat to the Ethiopian food. There are more than 22 Ethiopian restaurants in the metro area, attesting to its popularity.

“Ethiopian cuisine is no longer just a hidden gem for foodies,” Asfaw said.

Besides the mainstays of Ethiopian cuisine, the festival will have three new featured dishes this year: the doro wott (chicken stew), beef tibs (Ethiopian barbecue) and shirro wott (a vegan favorite).

There is no admission charge (and very affordable food prices), which means it’s free to enjoy the music and such cultural performances as Ethiopian folk dancing and drumming and a fashion show.

“This year we have half a dozen vendors flying in from other states, to showcase rare and unique Ethiopian arts, crafts, jewelry and coffee beans,” Asfaw said.

Along with nine Ethiopian folk dancers from Washington D.C., the festival this year will highlight Ethiopian Jazz for the first time with the Shebelle Band.

Ethiopian-owned PCL Laboratory and Blue Nile Clinic will offer free health screenings.

The Taste also is putting on its first education forum from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Montebello Recreation Center’s community room near the festival. In partnership with the Walton Family Foundation, organizers will led a discussion on K-12 education in regular vs. charter schools with educators, parents and students.