Fare well weekend
Jessica Garrison
FASHION ISLAND -- The fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad
kept people away from the Taste of Newport festival on Saturday night,
but overall, the 11th annual food fair was a huge success, organizer
Richard Leuehrs said.
More than 70,000 men, women and sticky-fingered children flooded the two
blocks of food, booze and loud ‘80s bands that transformed Newport Center
Drive over the weekend.
Between them, festival participants consumed 8,000 pieces of cake from
the Balboa Dessert Co., 2,700 miniature muffins from Mrs. Beasely’s and
more than 1,500 slices of key lime pie, for which the key limes were
flown in from the Florida Keys.
“We were Oscared,” said Leuehrs, the chief executive officer of the
Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce, explaining that for the first time in
the festival’s history, attendance Saturday evening declined.
Proceeds from the event, which cost $10 to get in and between $1 and $4
for samples of food from more than 35 area restaurants, will go to the
Chamber of Commerce, which will then distribute grants to local
charities.
Most of those gyrating to REO Speedwagon on Sunday evening or stuffing
their faces with fried calamari, chocolate souffle and Thai noodles had
fun, rather than charity, on their minds.
“It’s incredible,” Harrison Phelps of Irvine said. “We came for REO
Speedwagon, but the food is great.”
Sweaty-faced restaurant owners agreed.
“We’re getting fabulous exposure,” said William Carpenter of the
Bluewater Grill, between serving dizzying amounts of shrimp cocktail.
“And the sun is out today.”
Audrey Filipek of Newport Beach concurred, although as she spun herself
dizzy trying to keep track of her fast-toddling 18-month-old son,
Benjamin, she confronted the festival’s major drawback: it was very easy
to lose your companions among all the food.
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