By Jason KUROSU

Booths populated the parking lot of the Marketplace Shopping Center on Wednesday evening, Nov. 10 and the air was filled with the rich aroma of all types of food as the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted the 3rd Annual Taste in the Foothills.

The event brought La Crescenta residents (restaurateurs and potential customers alike) out for a celebration of local cuisine. Twenty restaurants were featured, each with a separate kiosk with workers handing out samples that showcased the spectrum of restaurants available in the La Crescenta area, from bakeries to pizza places to Asian cuisine to Cajun food to just about anything imaginable.

While three of the restaurants – Baja Fresh, Togo’s/Baskin Robbins and Starbucks – call the shopping center home, CV Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julia Rabago noted that the event “brought together local restaurants that are normally too spread out” for those residents who want a taste of what the Foothills has to offer.

Indeed, while some of the restaurants featured are well within the boundaries of La Crescenta and Montrose, some are located farther south into Glendale, as far as the Glendale Galleria. But on this night, distances were shortened and a vast amount of cuisine was made available close to home for a small ticket price of $15.

The Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce coordinated the original Taste in the Foothills two years ago as an educational fundraising event. Ticket sales contribute to scholarships for Crescenta Valley students and other funds for local schools. As patrons traveled from booth to booth or sat and ate at tables, they got to see where their ticket dollars were going as the Crescenta Valley High School Jazz Band performed for
them.

All in all, the night was a successful and enjoyable one for business owners, students and the community in general.

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