Bites Nearby: Food, Wine & Fun at Taste of Wheaton

An event held every year for almost two decades must have something of value to keep people coming back for more. In the case of Taste of Wheaton, it is an all-day party featuring food samples, kids rides and live music.

"People really look forward to it, and it really is a family event. People tend to stay all day and do things," said Sidney Cooper, marketing and events manager for the Wheaton Urban District.

Cooper estimates attendance at close to 10,000 in recent years, with Taste of Wheaton attracting people from the community as well as from around the region.

This year, organizers have added cooking demonstrations by chefs from The Limerick Pub, Green Plate Catering and Hollywood East Cafe. Washington Post editor Joe Yonan will also cook while Bonnie Benwick, the deputy editor of the Post Food section, moderates the demonstrations.

"The cooking demo will be really exciting. They will actually showcase one of their dishes and give samples to the attendees," Cooper said.

The co-owner and director of operations at The Limerick Pub will demonstrate how to make shepherd's pie, a traditional Irish dish, at 12 p.m.

"A good friend of mine is a DJ in the area. His name is DJ Carson. He'll be there as kind of my sidekick, working the crowd for me," Scott Squire said.

This is the third year the pub has been a part of the Taste celebration. The restaurant's sample offerings on June 9 will include Irish meatballs, jumbo lump crab cake sliders and potato croquettes. Squire considers the festival a win-win situation for the pub.

"We generally have a pretty busy Sunday in the pub after the event. People who have been there for the tastings come on over to the pub," said Squire.

Hollywood East Cafe, located inside the Westfield Wheaton Mall, took part in its first Taste of Wheaton in 1998. Owner and manager Janet Yu is excited about letting new potential customers know that her family's restaurant serves more than 70 varieties of dim sum.

"There are always new residents in the community that come to have fun at the Taste of Wheaton, and a lot of them have never been to our restaurant before," said Yu.

Yu will serve up tastings of baked roast pork buns, Singapore rice noodles and orange chicken at the restaurant's vendor spot on Grandview. She will also demonstrate how to make steamed and pan-fried pork dumplings at the 3 p.m. cooking demonstration.

Another unique aspect of Wheaton's celebration is the food and wine tasting tent. Local artisans and five wineries will be inside offering samples of their cheeses, meats, and wines. Tickets are sold for $1 at the entrance to the tent. You will need one to five tickets to sample each of the food and wine items offered inside the tent. All proceeds will benefit Mid-County United Ministries and its food pantry.

The other food tasting options are along Grandview Avenue, the only street that will be closed for Taste of Wheaton. Several of the participating restaurants are located on Grandview, where the vendors set up with samples from their kitchens. Each vendor offers food samples priced from $1 to $5.

Green Plate Catering is returning for its second year at Taste. The company received positive responses to the quinoa samples and gluten-free cookies served last year.

"I used to attend the Taste of Wheaton. It's my community," said Kit Wood, owner of Green Plate Catering. "I want people to be aware of what we do. I want people to be aware that there is excellent vegan and vegetarian food available to them."

As with other tasting events, the primary goal for Sunday's celebration is getting positive exposure for local restaurants and businesses. People who have never explored Wheaton or who have not been in years will find plenty to do along Grandview Avenue and in the adjacent Public Parking Lot 13. The parking lot known as Wheaton Market Place is where you will find the cooking demonstrations, food and wine tasting tent, arts and crafts, real kids rides and live bands.

"We'll have four live bands that will play from 12 to 5. We also have a stage for live band karaoke," Cooper said. "People who like karaoke can actually sing along to their favorite songs with a live band."

Check out the Wheaton Urban District website for the names of the bands performing and the restaurants participating in Taste of Wheaton. The June 9 event starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.   

You will need cash to pay for restaurant samples and tickets for the food and wine tasting tent. You can also bring canned food donations to Westfield Wheaton Mall for a chance to win prizes.