Taste of the Neighborhood

Myrna and I recently picked up a couple of tickets for a fundraising activity our parish (St. Maria Goretti, Pawtucket, RI) was holding. The event, called "Taste of the Neighborhood," was held today at a nearby Knights of Columbus hall, and tickets were $10 each.

The event sort of reminded me of the Taste of Rhode Island event held annually in Newport (which I have read about, but never attended). However, that event goes on for two days, and our parish event was for two hours.

What a great event ours was! Several local eating establishments each provided one or two staff members who were at the hall with a large batch of one (and in a few cases two or three) of their dishes. For example, The Lodge (a great restaurant in Lincoln) brought a large pot of its New England clam chowder, and Dragon Villa (a Chinese restaurant that we often frequent, usually for takeout) brought a batch of fried rice and two other dishes. Among the other establishments represented were the Cafe @ Fairlawn, Antonio's Cafe, Ralph's Bull & Claw Tavern, the local Chelo's, and an area pizza establishment.

It looked like an effort was made to include only one of any particular type of eating place, and the variety of foods was great.  During the event, one of the chairpersons commented on the excellent food, and strongly encouraged us to visit the establishments, and, while enjoying the fine food there, let them know we were introduced to them at this event.

We thought this was a great idea for a fundraiser, and that seemed to be the thought of everyone I was listening to. It was good for a parish community social event, and it is a way to potentially support the local economy. I hope the results confirmed this, and I also hope they plan a repeat next year.