Record crowds attended the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Taste of Arcadia 2014 at the lush L.A. County Arboretum on Sept. 22, with more than 1,500 enjoying the foods, drinks, and business displays of more than 100 vendors, as well as classic horseless carriages, police cars and fire engines.
Lounge-O-Rama kept crowds entertained with music from all ages with a half-hour break for the biggest ever Daniela Brazil Hollywood Show, a carnivale of exotic dancers. A dozen photo galleries below showcase the myriad elements that made up the biggest and best Taste ever thanks to the help of a record number of sponsors, led by Gold Sponsors Westfield Santa Anita, Methodist Hospital, and BMW of Monrovia.
A few quotes from attendees and vendor participants (full quotes futher below):
- “Best Taste ever!” – Former Arcadia Mayor Bob Harbicht
- “The signature event for Arcadia!” – City Council Member and former Mayor Roger Chandler
- “I was transfixed!” – Lounge-O-Rama band leader Patrick Olguin
- “Another amazing (Arcadia Chamber) event!” – Alexander Reyes, Saute Culinary Academy
- “Outstanding! Breathtaking! Wonderful! Tremendous! Beautiful! History-Making!” – Bruce McCallum, Chief Taste Officer of Taste of Arcadia Committee
Media coverage was unprecedented with dozens of stories and photos before and after Taste of Arcadia, including terrific coverage of winners of the Culinary Contest.
Photo galleries below featuring pictures from Arcadia Chamber staff Member Director Lisa Ferrick of Moda Alma, and Denise Gonzalez Mora of Mt. Sierra College courtesy of Chamber member Printing Control and Jerry Dominguez:
- Highlights of entire event from prep to clean-up…[flagallery gid=225]
Quote from Mayor Pro Tem Gary Kovacic:
“When they play ‘Minnie the Moocher’ with a hot trumpet and a cool baritone sax, you know they captured the real ‘Taste of Arcadia.’ Congrats to the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce and all who made last night’s event at the Arboretum a success.” - Sponsors…[flagallery gid=231]
Quote from City Council Member Roger Chandler:
“Congratulations to Taste of Arcadia Committee chairman Bruce McCallum, and of course the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce and (CEO) Scott Hettrick. I think it’s the signature event for Arcadia. Folks keep talking about we need one of those; we have one, and it’s very well done.” - People and experience…[flagallery gid=239]
Quote from City Council Member Tom Beck:
“My wife and I attended and it was a wonderful event. The food’s great. The company’s great. Scott Hettrick needs to be congratulated for that, and Betty Hettrick — no one ever mentions Betty but she volunteers a lot and I want to thank her for all she does.“ - VIP tables…[flagallery gid=232]
- Brazilian dancers…[flagallery gid=233]
- Classic cars and new car dealers…[flagallery gid=234]
- Entertainment: Band, Monday Night Football Lounge, Face Painting, Balloons…
- Quote from Lounge-O-Rama band leader Patrick Olguin:
“The sound people (brought in by event producer Wayne Tay of Town & Country Event Rentals) were the finest crew I’ve ever worked with; Jeff and his people were top notch in every way. I’m a guy who is proud of his band, but when I took a break and walked around while we played a song or two, I was transfixed. I’m certain we’ve never sounded better. The distributed sound system was amazing. There’s no way I can adequately describe just how helpful they were, and how much the stress relief of not having to worry about the main sound system made our performance that much more pleasurable.
“A thousand thanks for all your coordination efforts in every way. No one in the band had any trouble getting onsite and unloaded. We had everyone there and sound-checked before 4:30. It was less stress than a rehearsal.
“I did get a couple of minutes to visit a few booths and enjoy some of the food. I can’t recall a ‘working’ evening being much better. We gave out tons of business cards from adoring fans who ‘demanded’ our contact information. It was great. By the end of the evening, the dance floor was full.”[flagallery gid=238] - Food, Beer & Wine vendors…[flagallery gid=235]
- Business Showcase vendors…
— Quote from Alexander Reyes of Saute Culinary Academy:
“Thanks to everyone at the Chamber for all of their hard work in putting on another amazing event last night at the Taste Of Arcadia. As a Chef/Caterer who puts on events myself, I can appreciate all of the hard work it takes to pull off an event like this one. Great Job!
“As a 2nd year Chamber member I look forward to involving myself in many more of these events and feel confident that by doing so, we are planting a seed in peoples minds that Arcadia has a strong business community with many diverse options to choose from.”
— Quote from Kaityln Adams, Massage Envy Spa:
“Last night could not have been more FABULOUS!!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for inviting Massage Envy Spa to be part of this … I have no doubt that our participation will pay for itself many times over. And we all had a GREAT time! See you next year!!!!”[flagallery gid=236] - Red Carpet Experience (only a small number of participants featured here)…[flagallery gid=237]
- Preparing for Taste – Vendor Orientation…[flagallery gid=241]
- Preparing for Taste – Gift Bags…[flagallery gid=242]
- Preparing for Taste – Set-Up At Venue…[flagallery gid=240]
- Cleaning up after Taste…[flagallery gid=243]
