This past Sunday in Venice, CA, the nonprofit P.S. ARTS hosted the fourth annual Taste of Venice, a fundraiser for their nationally-recognized, award-winning arts education programs including the recently acquired Inside Out Community Arts program. This charitable afternoon was filled with savory samples, delightful drinks, and delicious desserts – all to support our arts education programs!
With so many food festivals in Los Angeles, it was refreshing to see one purely inspired by a good cause. Attendees crowded into the venue, not just because they wanted to sample delicious food, but they also believed in the noble cause that P.S Arts was trying to promote. The event kept this as a main focus as well, as they had a silent auction in the center of all the booths as well as a raffle for attendees.
The atmosphere at Taste of Venice was also very nice and relaxing. There was live music the whole time from a DJ as well as Los Angeles based indie rock surf punk pop band, Ugly Sweaters. Unlike other festivals, there was never any line for the different booths. The lack of chaos and crowds allowed each vendor to also spend more time with each attendee talking about what they were sampling. This made the festival more personal, as one could actually spend a decent amount of time talking to each vendor and getting to know them and their product.
Highlights
Chef Gino Campagna– Gino works for Piccolo Chef Foundation and teaches cooking classes throughout Los Angeles. Piccolo Chef Foundation’s mission is to “make healthy cooking attainable and fun to children of all ages and walks of life.” Chef Gino was by far the most animated vendor at the event. He taught guests how to make fresh ravioli step by step. He walked everyone through the whole process with jokes to go along with each new step. Not only did guests get to help make delicious ravioli, but they had fun in the process. This was a very fun one to stop by, since it incorporated an interactive element of attendees cooking along with the chef!
Mestizo Mezcal– Another one of our favorites. Here, we were able to sample all the different mezcals- each aged a different amount of time. Mestizo Mezcal had a smokey, but smooth flavor that was delicious to sip. Additionally, the representative taught us all about mezcal and how it was made. It was very informative. Did you know that tequila is a type of mezcal, but mezcal isn’t a type of tequila? Or, each batch of mezcal can taste different than the next, just like how wine varies?
Flake– Flake had one of the best beverages we have ever tried: Matty Chai Home Brewed Chai Tea. This was an incredibly refreshing drink that went great with the hot weather. It was so good, we had to get two. Additionally, the drinks’ ice cubes were creatively made of frozen chai tea. They also provided some delicious banana bread to accompany your tea.
Participating Vendors
Angel City Brewery, Another Kind of Sunrise, Baby Blues BBQ, Bank of Venice, Barlo Kitchen & Cocktails, Boxed Water is Better, CasaLinda Mexican Grill, Dark Horse Wine, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Flake, Groundwork Coffee, Komodo, Kreation Kafe & Juicery, La Canana, Larry’s, Mestizo Mezcal, Mind Body Fork’s Chef Debbie Lee, mytable, N’ice Cream, Piccolo Chef Foundation’s Chef Gino Campagna, Plant Food and Wine, Poke-Poke, Primitivo Wine Bistro, Rootz Sauce, Santino’s True Gentlemen’s Jerky, Venice Ale House, Venice Merchant, Vina Sympatica, and Whole Foods Market.
Overall
The Taste of Venice was a huge success. The weather was perfect, the crowd was excited to be there and promote a good cause, and there were tons of yummy options to choose from and sample. Not only could you go home with a full stomach, but also a sense of helping out others. We had an awesome time and can’t wait to see what the 5th Annual Taste of Venice has in store next year!
