By Kathy Chouteau
The third annual “Taste of Richmond” event brought 750 ticket holders to Riggers Loft on Saturday.
Hosted by the City of Richmond’s Economic Development Commission, the festivities welcomed people to sample the offerings from participating local restaurants, breweries and wineries that showcased some of the best culinary delights the city has to offer.
Despite Saturday’s rain, the event, still in its infancy in terms of number of years held, grew by 150 people this year, up from 600 ticket holders last year.
“I was there for the original planning for the first Taste of Richmond and it’s really great to see not just the consistency of the event, but also how it’s grown—and how it’s begun to adopt a name amongst other cities in the Bay Area,” said Richmond City Councilmember Demnlus Johnson, a former vice chair of the Commission and the City Council’s liaison to it.
“I’m looking around and I’m seeing friends from Oakland and San Francisco roaming around,” he added. “It’s really great to see other people see the beauty that we have in Richmond. With our eateries and breweries, Richmond has started to become a destination spot in the Bay Area.”
Richmond vendors serving up sample-sized provisions to a packed house on Saturday included: Assemble Restaurant; CJ’s BBQ & Fish; Curbside Kitchen; GDC Kitchen; Golden Gate Meat Company; Kim’s Louisiana Fried Turkey & Stuff; Lemur International, Inc.; Marina Bay Bakery LLC; Nobilis Finer Diner; Plant to Plate; Quiche & Curry; Roux & Gumbo; San Francisco Pizza; and Up & Under Pub & Grill.
Fine beverage purveyors including Carica Wines; East Brother Beer; Far West Cider Company; Origin Brewer; and R&B Cellars also were on hand that day providing alcoholic drinks as part of the ticket price.
Upon entering the event venue, ticketholders were provided with a complimentary Taste of Richmond wine glass, a reusable Richmond-themed shopping bag and a rating sheet upon which they could rate the various vendors’ offerings. By turning in their completed sheets, ticketholders received a free raffle ticket for a chance at prizes including: A $100 Quiche & Carry gift certificate; a certificate for four loaves of bread from the Marina Bay Bakery; a certificate for a wine tasting for two from Carica Wines (valued at $30); five Richmond Monopoly games courtesy of the Commission; and various meats from the Golden Gate Meat Company.
Live music was provided by the Jimi Z Band, which rocked some classic rock tunes primarily from the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Taste of Richmond was made possible through the generosity of sponsors such as Mechanics Bank, System Innovation, San Francisco Bay Ferry, NoMa/William Lyon Homes, Sims Metal Management, Golden Gate Meat Company, Republic Services, Richmond Main Street Initiative, Riggers Loft and the City of Richmond.
