Santa Monica : Taste of L.A. Food Festival

For the sixth summer in a row, crowds of food lovers are expected to descend on Santa Monica for the Seagram’s Taste of L.A. food festival. The event allows gourmands and the curious alike to sample specialties from 50 of the city’s top restaurants--including Tommy Tang’s, 72 Market Street and L’Ermitage--for $1 to $6 per taste and an $8 cover charge. A portion of the proceeds goes to charity.

The festival will take place Saturday and Sunday and again Aug. 17 and 18 from noon to 11 p.m. at the Santa Monica Civic Center, offering people who aren’t rich or famous a chance to try delicacies such as salmon kulibiaka and blueberry feuillete. There will also be plenty of drink and live entertainment provided by Billy Vera and the Beaters, Kenny James and Billy Preston. Several chefs will demonstrate their skills, and a cookbook inscribed on a computer disk will be for sale as well.

Last year’s event attracted nearly 60,000 participants. Organizers said $64,288 of the proceeds went to groups that help the homeless, but they would not disclose their gross profit. This year some of the proceeds will go to the St. Joseph Center in Venice, the Ocean Park Community Center in Santa Monica and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.