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Community Corner

Bites Nearby: Taste the World in Fenton Village in June

Explore Fenton Village restaurants and businesses just steps away from the center of downtown Silver Spring

Every year, bright lights and familiar names attract more than 250,000 visitors to the restaurants, stores and entertainment in downtown Silver Spring.

Many of those people miss out on the world of dining and shopping a few doors away from the heart of the business district. They will have another chance to walk through Fenton Village and taste this neighborhood's unique flavor on Sunday, June 2.

See also: Countdown to Taste the World in Fenton Village

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"We want to activate Fenton Street, and then up Georgia Avenue, so that people are aware that there are these wonderful gems, the real jewels of Silver Spring right there," said Jessica Fusillo, co-chair of the Commercial Economic Development Committee for the Silver Spring Advisory Board.

This is the third year the CED and its partners have sponsored Taste the World in Fenton Village. The annual celebration of businesses located between Wayne, Georgia and Burlington Avenues and Fenton Street offers people opportunities to sample appetizers or tasting menus, explore unique shops and listen to live music.

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"There are balloons everywhere marking what businesses are open and what restaurants are open.  We have ambassadors and volunteers guiding people through Fenton Village, so it's a real party," Fusillo said.

Twenty-six restaurants are participating in the June 2 event. The new names on the list are Golden House, Gebeta Ethiopian Restaurant, La Madeleine Country French Cafe, Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant and Taqueria Districto Federal. Some of the returning participants include Roger Miller Restaurant, Ghar-E-Kabob, Fire Station Restaurant, Manny & Olga's Pizza and Zed's Cafe.

Patrons pick up their event "passports" in Parking Lot #3, which is located at Lesaac Ethiopian Cafe on Fenton Street between Thayer and Silver Spring Avenues. The passport is stamped each time you try a $2 to $5 appetizer or tasting plate at a participating restaurant.

This year, attendees will also be able to taste wines from two Maryland wineries, Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard and Black Ankle Vineyards. Ed Boyce and Sarah O'Herron, who live in Silver Spring with their children, opened Black Ankle winery in 2008 on land they purchased in Mt. Airy. 

"For us, the most important thing is for our customers to understand that we grow every single grape. We don't buy grapes from outside," said Melissa Schulte, Black Ankle's general manager. The boutique winery is on Wine Business Monthly's list of hottest small brands. Most of the 3,500 to 4,500 cases produced each year are sold out.

"Jackie's has some inventory they are planning on pouring that we're sold out of, so that's exciting to us," Schulte added. "Some of the customers that really liked the wines we've sold out of may have the opportunity to get them there."

Jackie's Restaurant and Pacci's Pizzeria are among the restaurants participating in the wine tastings. Patrons who want to take a break from the nibbling and sipping can stop in Fenton Village shops or enjoy free music back in Parking Lot #3.

Five groups will perform live at Taste the World: Tahuantinsuyo (Peruvian Folk), Dual Rhythm (Jazz), Cafe y Caribe (Latin/Salsa), The Black Jacks with Wendy Lanxner of the Lost Boys (Rock), and Rose Moraes & Soul Brazil (Bossa Nova).

The executive director of Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., Lisa Martin organized this year's music venue.

"It will be a really good day of music," she said. "People can catch that in-between tastings, and when they pick up their passport and turn it in. Usually, they do multiple stop-bys at the stage area throughout the day."

Taste the World takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 2. A raffle will be held around 5:30 p.m. in Parking Lot #3. Anyone who has tasting stamps from at least three different restaurants could win prizes. The top prize will be a "Weekend for 2 in Silver Spring" with hotel accommodations, dining and entertainment provided.

CED and the sponsors would like to see the 2013 event attract even more than the 1,200 people who attended last year. The attendance and the use of Silver Spring printing companies, t-shirt makers and other local businesses all contribute to the economic health of the community.

Organizers collect the passports and conduct a survey of business owners to monitor how well Taste the World promotes the participants. A new grant from the Montgomery County Council could help expand the event next year.

"People are excited when they actually go down and visit these restaurants," said Fusillo. "This is really an upbeat and wonderful way for people, families and youth to come and get affordable food, sit down at a restaurant and really experience Silver Spring in the best way."

A complete list of participating restaurants and sponsors is available on the Taste the World in Fenton Village website. A video that captures some of the excitement of the 2012 event is available on YouTube.

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