Taste Santa Monica Sunday at the Pier

By Gathering Marbet
Special to The Lookout

September 16 -- This Sunday at Santa Monica Pier you can tease your taste buds, increase your restaurant repertoire and glean a few culinary tricks to practice at home.

It’s the fourth annual Taste of Santa Monica food fair, where you can eat ‘til you drop for $35, sampling some of Santa Monica’s tastiest dishes from 40 local restaurants, while witnessing top chefs perform novice-manageable kitchen miracles.

Hosted by the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, the event, which kicks of at noon, is a fun way to enliven appetites and demonstrate preparation prowess.

“We have some tantalizing presentations and charismatic chiefs slated for the demo stage,” said Kathryn Dodson, the chamber’s president and CEO. “I advise all home chefs to bring their notepads and cameras.”

Other highlights of the event include free jazz grooves by the Sam Graham Trio, along with an optional wine garden -- making its first time appearance -- that features 30 to 40 varieties from 15 different wineries for an extra $15.

“There will be experts there to tell about the different wines,” Dodson said. “And the chef’s demos have now moved to the center stage because we are highlighting them more than we used to.”

There will be four chef demonstrations set on the half hour, each featuring a user friendly culinary creation such as Locanda Del Lago’s Gamberi al Prosciutto or Lentil Dahl from the Ma’kai Lounge, Dodson said.

The wine portion of the event is sponsored by Young’s Market, with other major sponsors including Santa Monica Acura, the Art Institute of Los Angeles, Diago Spirits, Fiji water and The Lobster restaurant at the entrance to the pier.

Taste of Santa Monica has become a big success, attracting a diverse crowd from across the region, Dodson said.

“We sell tickets across the Country as well as across LA,” she said. “We are having a lot of fun putting the event together and expect the crowd to enjoy the show.”

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