Westminster pairs its Fall Festival with first-ever Taste of Westminster

Westminster —  Calling all foodies: The city of Westminster will host the first-ever Taste of Westminster on Sept. 22 in collaboration with the city’s second annual Fall Festival.

“The city is excited to bring a new feel and experience to our Fall Festival,” said Westminster City Manager Christine Cordon.

The festival will run the weekend of Sept. 22 through Sept. 24, with the community-driven evening of food, hosted by Westminster’s Civic Center, taking place from 5 to 9 p.m. on Friday. A few thousand visitors are expected to attend the event over the three days.

“We are proud to host the Taste of Westminster on Friday evening to kick off the weekend, which will feature local eateries that really exemplify the uniqueness of the diverse Westminster community,” said Westminster City Manager Christine Cordon.

Both admission and specialty food items will be free, thanks to Orange County grant funds. Westminster residents will receive 10 tasting tickets (up to six per address), and a cash bar will serve beverages for those 21 and over. Residents will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite restaurant.

The city of Westminster hosted its first Fall Festival last year, with vendors like Hyper House Sweets. This year the event will combine with the first-ever Taste of Westminster.

(Courtesy of the city of Westminster)

Participating restaurants include bubble tea concept Meet Fresh Westminster, local pizza shop Calixto’s Pizzeria, halal restaurant Mr. Shawarma, hot pot restaurant TastyPot, boba tea house Aiyu Cha and more.

Westminster joins other Orange County cities that host similar events highlighting local restaurants and small businesses, like Laguna Beach’s Taste of Laguna Beach, taking place on Oct. 5 at the Festival of Arts grounds and Santa Ana’s Taste of Santa Ana at Main Place Mall on Oct. 14.

A Southern California event production company, Soundskilz, has been tapped to organize the Westminster event, and founder Steve Clayton said he is looking forward to showcasing all Westminster has to offer.

“Soundskilz is thrilled to bring the first-ever Taste of Westminster to the city,” said Clayton. “This event will highlight various food concepts and restaurants in Westminster and why it is such a great place to shop and eat.”

One such Taste of Westminster vendor representing Vietnamese culture that has recently helped shaped the Westminster community is Banh Khot Lady. Owner Tony Dang began Banh Khot Lady in 2020, when his mother, Xi Phan, was forced to shut down her nail salon business because of the pandemic. Phan came to the U.S. as a refugee in 1982, like many Westminster residents, and had worked in the nail salon industry for 35 years when COVID-19 hit.

Banh khot, a crispy, savory Vietnamese pancake made from a rice-flour and coconut-milk batter and topped with shrimp and minced meat, was Dang’s favorite dish his mother cooked, and he encouraged her to cook and sell the delicious bites via Facebook to make ends meet. Since then, Banh Khot Lady evolved into a popular pop-up concept and now has a brick-and-mortar shop at 10032 McFadden Ave. in Westminster. Foodies can look forward to bites from Banh Khot Lady at this year’s event.

Vendors greet guests at booths at the first Westminster Fall Festival last year. This year’s event will include the first-ever Taste of Westminster Friday night.

(Courtesy of the city of Westminster)

Besides the inaugural Taste of Westminster, the Fall Festival will feature a family-friendly carnival and live local entertainment. A schedule of events can be found at westminster-ca.gov/departments/community-services/fall-festival.