Nov. 25, 2014 By Michael Florio
The third annual “Taste of Woodside” was its biggest one yet.
The event, which was hosted by Woodside on the Move, featured 14 restaurants and a crowd of about 120 attendees.
The goal of the event, which took place last Thursday, was to provide attendees with the ability to sample each restaurant’s food so they would be able to get an appreciation of the quality of Woodside’s cuisine.
“We had people from Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and all over,” said Woodside on the Move Executive Director Adrian Bordoni, who held the event at at St. Sebastian’s School auditorium.
Bordoni said the oysters and clams from Murphy’s Lobster Grill (48-20 Skillman Ave) were once again popular items. A new Woodside restaurant, Casa Del Chef (39-06 64th St), offered pumpkin soup with Parmesan whip cream on top , which Bordoni said was loved by all.
Meanwhile, Takesushi (43-46 42nd Street) chef Robin Kawada was on site making sushi for those in attendance.
“That was a big, big hit,” Bordoni said referring to Takesushi. “People were really impressed [watching him make it] and it was delicious.”
Red Ribbon Bakeshop (65-02 Roosevelt Ave) and Engeline’s Restaurant & Bakeshop (58-28 Roosevelt Ave) were two Filipino bakeries that helped bring variety to the event.
“We were happy to have Filipino businesses well represented,” Bordoni said.
Bordoni said there were also Irish, Italian, Bolivian, American and Japanese restaurants on site.
“People were definitely happy with the diverse selection,” he said.
Woodside on the Move introduced a new feature this year, a photo exhibit by Rachel Mintz, called The Woodsider. The exhibit was hung around the auditorium and featured photos of a variety of Woodside businesses.
“The exhibit celebrates the hard work and services that businesses supply to the community,” Bordoni said.
The Taste of Woodside continues to grow. Last year about 80 people attended and about 11 restaurants participated. However, that event was held in a much smaller venue at the Big Six Towers.
“The location helped because it was a much bigger space,” he said.
Robin Kawada
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2 Comments
It was definitely the best Taste of Woodside yet. Plenty of space, delicious food, and they were literally passing out six packs of beer at the end of the night. No complaints.
Great event, supporting a great community service organization that runs after school programs and senior programs and housing. Woodside on the Move may not have to “cool” factor that some of the organizations like Sunnyside Artists have, but they have been helping the greater Woodside area for over 30 years. Bravo to all the volunteers who worked hard on this!