‘Taste of the Town' raises $17,000 for St. Stephen's School and Parish

Warwick — St. Stephen’s School and Parish’s second annual “Taste of the Town” on May 16 attracted nearly 2,000 patrons and raised more than $17,000. “The response to our event last year was overwhelming,” said event co-chair Mary Juliano. “We knew we had to go back and find ways to make a good thing even better this year. So, with countless volunteers, community support, and terrific restaurant participation, we were able to do just that. We made improvements to our layout, added tent space, and made adjustments for crowd flow, all to make the experience more manageable and comfortable for the patrons and restaurants.” Twenty-one local restaurants participated, including the Warwick establishments of Jean Claude Patisserie, Willows Café, Landmark Inn, Frank’s Pizza, Bellvale Farms Creamery, Carriage Path Café, Spring Street Market, Penning’s Farm Market, Pioneer Restaurant, Halligan’s, Lisa’s Cookies, Iron Forge Inn, and Freddie’s Pub; the Florida establishments of Janet’s Quality Baked Goods, Village Grill, and The Copper Bottom; Angelo’s Italian Ice and Maggie’s In the Alley in Chester; Greg’s Place from Greenwood Lake; Carmine’s of Greenville; and Restaurant Latour of Crystal Springs Country Club. Three wineries - Applewood Winery, Demarest Hill Winery & Vineyard and Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery - provided a variety of wines to accompany the fare, while Dana Distributors provided beer. “Another area we were able to improve upon this year was specifically the restaurants,” said event co-chair Karen Pinkham. “Under the direction of Bobby Lerz of Hospitality Innovations, and Jonathan De Graw, a culinary student and St. Stephens’ alumni, we had a food tasting, with awards announced to showcase the winning restaurants.” First place honors of the food salon went to Carmine’s of Greenville, for their Jumbo Shrimp Wrapped in Bacon and Roasted Red Pepper Gnocchi. Restaurant La Tour of Crystal Springs Country Club won second place honors for Chilled Crab and Tomato Soup, and Country Lamb with Couscous. Third place honors went to Greg’s Place of Greenwood Lake for their Hot Wings and Barbecue Ribs. Honorable mentions went out to Freddie’s Pub for its Chicken Pot Pie, and the Village Grill for its Spanikopita. In addition, a People’s Choice and Kid’s Choice Awards poll was held for dessert and non dessert items. The People’s Choice Award winners for non-dessert items were: first place to Landmark Inn for Grilled Shrimp, second place to Village Grill and Pub for Eggplant Rollitini, and third place to Copper Bottom for Chicken Teriyaki. People’s Choice Award dessert winners were: tied for first place were Carriage Path Café for Belgium Waffles and Jean Claude’s Patisserie and Dessert Café for Dual Carmel and Chocolate Pastry with Chocolate Sauce, and second place to Janet’s Quality Baked Goods for Cannoli. In the Kid’s Choice division for best non-dessert items, first place was awarded to Frank’s Pizza for its Cheese Pizza, second place went to Gregg’s Place for its Ribs, and third place was awarded to Carriage Path Café for Turkey, Bacon and Swiss Panini with Honey Mustard. Kid’s Choice winners for best dessert were: first place to Bellvale Creamery for Bellvale Bog Ice Cream; second place to Angelo’s Famous Italian Ice for Rainbow Ice, and third place to Carriage Path Café for Belgium Waffles. Lastly, an award was given for best decorated booth. The winner was Willow Café, for the most original design. Proceeds of the Taste of the Town event benefit the operational expenses of the St. Stephens School and Parish. “Our children are the main reason for this event,” said Father Michael McLoughlin. “Our parish educates over 1,500 children in our school and our religious education program. The presence of all of our patrons helps to ensure that they will continue to receive a quality education with sound religious, moral and civic values forming the citizens of tomorrow” Next year’s Taste of the Town is scheduled for Tuesday, May 15, 2007. For information about events at St. Stephens, visit www.ststephen-stedward.org.