It’s no surprise why all 400 tickets to the annual Taste of North Royalton event sell out quickly each year.
Apart from raising thousands of dollars for the North Royalton Educational Foundation and the North Royalton Stadium Foundation, the Taste of North Royalton also does its job of not letting anyone leave even remotely hungry.
At this year’s event held Nov. 7, guests eagerly packed into the lobby of St. Paul Hellenic Center before the event even officially got underway. Despite a congested check-in table, all 400 guests eventually found their way to their assigned seats and started making their rounds, grabbing tasting samples from 20 different restaurants, bakeries and caterers. Each $35 ticket included two drink tickets. Reserved tables of 10 were purchased for $350.
The yearly tasting event features delectable samples of top-selling menu items from a variety of vendors. Newly opened establishments like Peeboo & Beanie Gourmet Ice Cream, Valenti’s Ristorante in Broadview Heights and JaclynJo’s Bakery took advantage of the opportunity to connect with future diners. Eventgoers bet on sideboards and bought tickets for themed raffle baskets that came generously stocked with goodies like YETI drinkware, sports tickets and memorabilia, spirits and stemware, jewelry, recreation packages, gift certificates for local services and plenty more.
“This is our first time attending and we heard about it through a friend who serves on the Stadium Foundation,” said Melanie O’Callahan, a North Royalton mom of three. “We spend 90 percent of our lives up at the stadium, so we wanted to give back.”
The Taste of North Royalton featured 20 vendors: Brennan’s Catering, Cleats Club Seat Grille, Cozumel, Creekside Restaurant, Danny Boys, Festive Plate Catering, JaclynJo’s Bakery, Jaipur Junction, Kavana Social Kitchen, Kona Ice, Marge Walter Caterers, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Peeboo & Beanie Gourmet Ice Cream, Rosewood Grill, Stancato’s, The 3 Spot, Tinker’s Creek, Tom + Chee, Valenti’s Ristorante and Zeppe’s Pizzeria.
Proceeds from the successful event are divided equally between the two fundraising arms – the North Royalton Educational Foundation awarding teacher grants and student scholarships and the North Royalton Stadium Foundation raising monies for stadium improvements and maintenance. Though totals are still being tallied, the Taste of North Royalton Committee believes their profit is up 10 percent this year, said Chair Becky Cozzens. Last year, $15,000 was raised and divided equally between the two fundraising arms.
“This night with the two foundations working together is really wonderful,” Cozzens said. “Our teachers are always looking for innovative ways to increase knowledge in the classroom. They can apply to the North Royalton Educational Foundation for different products and educational material that will benefit the students. This year we approved 18 grants, totaling almost $9,000.”
Kavana Social Kitchen Bartender Jon Lockhart was on-hand serving up drink samples and tasting cups. By day, Lockhart works for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District as a food supervisor and noted how special it is to see community members backing their local schools.
“It’s super important to be out there supporting your school district,” Lockhart said. “This is Kavana Social Kitchen’s second year at this event, it’s a great crowd and we’re happy to be involved.”
By SARA MACHO HILL
Contributing Writer