It was a special night for the community of Arcadia who came out to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden to experience the amazing food and bevy of festivities at this year’s Taste of Arcadia. Occurring once a year on the last Monday of September, the Taste of Arcadia is a special event put on by the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce to showcase a host of diverse businesses and the very best cuisine in the Los Angeles county. The Taste of Arcadia is put on with the following support; Gold Sponsors: Westfield Santa Anita and Methodist Hospital of Southern California, Silver Sponsor: City of Arcadia, Bronze Sponsor: Cabrera’s Mexican Cuisine, BMW of Monrovia and H Mart, Bear Garden Sponsor: Post Alarm, T-Shirt Sponsor: Embassy Suites by Hilton, Business Showcase Sponsor: Rose Hills Memorial Park and Cemetery, Entertainment Sponsor: Century Rooter, Wine Glasses Sponsors: Johnson Products and Danco, Plate
Sponsor: Paco’s Mexican Restaurant and City Cafe. In addition to this the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce would like to thank its Courtesy Vendors; Trash Recycling couretsy of Waste Management, Flood Lighting courtesy of Jan’s Towing, Bottled Water courtesy of Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, Supply Delivery courtesy of Two Men and a Truck, special thanks to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden who provided the exquisite venue.
The Business Showcase at this year’s Taste of Arcadia featured 42 local businesses handing out promotional material and informing guests on the various services and products they offer. A few lucky guests were able to come out of the night with a few extra prizes in their swag bag, as Business Showcase booths were raffling out prized items such as a 48 inch Smart TV offered by Pasadena Independent. Mt. Olive Storage celebrated it’s second time at Taste of Arcadia by offering As well Douglas Auto raffled off tons of free merchandise with their prize wheel. Custom Comfort Mattress was allowing guests to experience the quality in their hands-craftmanship first hand by bringing one of their top quality beds to Taste of Arcadia. Other Business Showcase booths made their mark with beautiful decor, at the Design Escrow booth was an elegant design which featured a suitcase of Past Arcadia Photos dating back to the early 1900s. Making a huge impression on guests was “Earth Man” of the Savers Arcadia booth, who was encouraging people of the Savers’ motto, “Shop, Reuse, Reimagine.”
As one of the most memorable features to each Taste of Arcadia the food vendors made a considerable impression on guests. It was an incredible sight to see as each of the 47 food and drink vendors showcased their very best dishes. Vendors such as Del Frisco’s Bar & Grille wowed everyone at this year’s Taste with the dish that won them Best Dish of Taste of Arcadia 2016 a set of Ahi Tuna Tacos. Guests remarked on the crispiness of the Wonton Shell which perfectly wrapped around beautifully prepared Ahi Tuna.
Embassy Suites featured an under construction theme to match their current renovations, along with this the booth sampled grilled shrimp on a bed of freshly prepared coleslaw and as guest of the night put it, one of the best Bloody Mary’s they’ve ever had. Clearman’s Inn joined us again for this year’s Taste, living up to their reputation in the San Gabriel community the restaurant pleased guests with their signature steak and Bleu Cheese Salad. Local Sierra Madre favorite The Four Seasons Tea Room offered a refreshing Hisbiscus Tea and an assortment of delightfully prepared tea sandwiches. Twohey’s was dishing out cups of savory chili, while also informing of their new location coming to Pasadena, be sure to keep an eye out for Twohey’s Tavern opening at 2835 E. Foothill Blvd.
A few changes were made to the setup of this year’s Taste of Arcadia. A dance floor was installed in front of the DJ John Villa of Dance Syndicate, due to the staff noticing the impromptu dancing that occurred on Lawn B at last year’s Taste. This year, attendees of Taste of Arcadia were led in by not only the Drumline but also a section of the Arcadia High School marching band. Post Alarm sponsored this year’s Beer Garden which featured three drafts from Anheuser-Busch; Stella Artois, who quickly became a highlight of the night with their distribution of free Stella Artois glasses, Golden Road and Elysian.
Special guests judges Loretta Vigil of Chefelle, Annie Perez of Cruise Planners, Peggy Kelley and Cherie Mercer Twohy of Wine, Women and Wow, went around sampling from each booth and awarding vendors with the honor of Best of Taste.
Best of Taste of Arcadia 2017
Best in Show for Business Showcase was awarded to Two Men and a Truck- Best in Show for Food Vendors was awarded to Embassy Suites by Hilton
- Best Savory Dish was awarded to Monkey Bar and Villa Catrina
- Best Dessert was awarded to Bella Sera
- Best Food Presentation was awarded to Bella Sera
The Arcadia Chamber of Commerce staff is working now on next year’s Taste of Arcadia, keep up with event details by periodically checking the Taste website, www.TasteofArcadia.com
