By Charly SHELTON

There are countless restaurants in the Crescenta Valley and the surrounding areas, and eating at all of them would put a dent in anyone’s pocket book. To help discerning diners, Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce hosts an annual event that gives guests an option to try little tastes from local restaurants to learn more about each without having to break the budget. The 8th Annual Taste of the Foothills event brought together more than 15 restaurants for one night, last Thursday, in the Marketplace parking lot near Ralph’s in the 2600 block of Foothill Boulevard. Each restaurant offered samples and signature items to ticketholders in order to get an idea of the kind of fare to be found in each restaurant.

“I really like it,” said Sabrina Walentynowicz, who attended the event. “I have never tried a lot of these places and this is way easier than going to have dinner at each one. And cheaper.”

The event was a success, welcoming over 200 guests in the two-hour span. Tickets were $20 each, $10 for children, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated by the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce to help local schools.

Some, like Steve Pierce, past president of the chamber, said that he and his friends had never been to Bourbon Steak in the Americana at Brand but after sampling their fare at Taste of the Foothills, they made a reservation for dinner there.

For those who missed the event this year, there is always next year. Visit CrescentaValleyChamber.org/Taste for more information.

  Charly Shelton