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Capacity crowd relishes Taste of Newark Click here for photo album
5:16 p.m., Oct. 6, 2005--Perfect weather, good music, art patrons and, most importantly, tables and tables of Newark’s tastiest dishes and desserts brought crowds to the lawn of Old College, on East Main Street, for the second annual Taste of Newark on Sunday, Oct. 2. A capacity crowd of approximately 650 sampled treats from scores of Newark restaurants, as well as an assortment of different wines and beers. Whether it was the seafood offered by Blue Crab Grill, the garlic bean chicken offered by Saigon Vietnam Restaurant, the pistachio gelato from Caffé Gelato or one of the dozens of other dishes being served, the crowd had many choices throughout the afternoon. Arthur Frommer, renowned author of numerous travel books who was at the day’s events, said he was impressed by the high quality of food that he had tasted throughout the day. “I love to combine travel with an academic opportunity,” Frommer said. Fred DeMicco, ARAMARK Chair of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management (HRIM) at UD, estimated that about 75 students were at the event working for one restaurant or another. Many students in the program either already work in one of the restaurants in Newark or for the Blue & Gold Club, Vita Nova or UD’s Catering Services, he said. Other student volunteers were helping to clean up, serve beverages and provide other services. Two tables at the event were hot spots for those with a sweet tooth. Vita Nova provided a fountain of dripping chocolate for dipping strawberries, shortbread, marshmallows and other pastries, while UD Catering Services provided pumpkin cookies glazed in icing and warm apple cider. “It’s a little warm for the cider,” Patti Mancino, assistant catering manager, said. “But, we will enjoy this summer-like weather for as long as we can.” Alexis Solano, a senior and a student manager at the Blue & Gold Club, said their biggest hit was the Caribbean jerk chicken salad served in an edible pastry cup. Solana said the event was busier than she had expected, with a constant crowd of people sampling the dishes. John and Beth Mayer, owners of Kirk’s Flowers, added a special exhibition of UD pride to the event with their 6-foot-high model of UD mascot YoUDee completely constructed of flowers. The life-sized YoUDee consisted of a body made of 80 bunches of blue and gold mums (with 30 blooms per bunch) and a tail made of 50 delphiniums.
Newark Mayor Vance Funk said he was pleased to see how well the event went off after almost six months of planning. “The food is terrific, the music is good, everyone is having a great time--it’s really outstanding,” Funk said. The mayor said he was pleased to see families and community members, who have been in Newark for more than 40 or 50 years, joining in with the UD community. Jennifer Gladsden, a senior human services, education and public policy major and event volunteer said she was especially pleased to have a sneak peak at restaurants such as Panera Bread and California Tortilla, which haven’t opened yet but are coming soon to Main Street. “I am really having a good time meeting people and learning about new foods,” Gladsden said. Anne Matic, from Adria Café, which was serving a shrimp and spinach lasagna, said her biggest regret was that she hadn’t purchased tickets herself to taste the other foods. “I think this is really wonderful,” she said. “It’s the perfect day.” In addition to the upbeat music and plates and plates of food, artists were on hand showing and selling some of their work. Kerlyndon Barton, an artist who specializes in drawings of places in Newark, including many of the restaurants on Main Street that were at the event, said this was his first year at the Taste of Newark. “It’s a spectacular event, he said. “It brings together many different aspects of the community.” Article by Leah Conway, AS ‘06 To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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