Business & Tech

Chamber of Commerce Serves Up Its Latest, Greatest Taste of La Mesa

Hungry for publicity, 28 restaurants feed 400 at the La Mesa Community Center in third annual event.

Cost of a ticket to Taste of La Mesa: $30.  Fee charged restaurants and other food providers: $0. Value of the promotion: Priceless.

Monday’s third annual foodie fest at the La Mesa Community Center drew 400-425 people, according to David Smyle of the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce, which keeps ticket revenues to support its activities.

“Overall, it’s a better event from a logistical standpoint [compared with earlier years],” said Smyle, who manned a table for his own sideline Magnaglobe Enterprises.

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Some 28 restaurants or food companies—from the long-established Anthony’s Fish Grotto to the newly opened Vine Cottage Wine Bar and Kitchen—dished out samples of their popular wares for three hours. For $5 more, you could sample a Taste of Vino as well—drinks such as San Pasqual Winery’s sangria or beer donated by Karl Strauss Brewing Co.

Mary England, chamber CEO, conceived the event three years ago, Smyle said, and it’s grown so big that it sold out relatively quickly in 2011.

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Cars entering Memorial Drive had to show tickets to fetch a parking space, and some people walked as far as the lot above the municipal pool to get to the Community Center on a chilly night—even with Anthony Carneiro’s Advanced Shuttle offering to ferry event-goers (also picking folks up at an Allison Avenue parking lot).

More seating was provided inside and out this year, Smyle said, but next year will be even bigger—a Taste of the Century on June 11, 2012, keyed to that year’s cityhood centennial.

Site preparation for this year’s event began at 7 a.m., with 10 people setting up tables and chairs for the 5:30 p.m. start, he said.  But the 400 blue-fabric goodie bags (provided by DCH Honda of Lemon Grove) were stuffed by Helix Charter High School students over two previous days.

Smyle said the chamber approached the Helix Career Center and found students happy to meet their community service obligation by filling the bags with promotional items from La Mesa restaurants and other vendors.

Nonfood vendor booths paid the chamber for space at the event, and a raffle was held as well—more revenues for the chamber.

Several dozen people have already signed up for the 2012 waiting list, Smyle said, even though ticket prices haven’t been set. But more people—and restaurants—will be accommodated because the Taste of the Century will expand to the recreation building opposite the Arbor View Room where Monday’s event was held.


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