Get the Ultimate Taste of Rehoboth on August 21
Last August nearly 600 people converged on the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center in Downtown Rehoboth Beach for the first annual Taste of Rehoboth. The word of mouth (fairly literally in this sense) was awesome.
Even if you weren’t in that crowd, August 21 is your chance to experience the same kind of scrumptious evening again.
The event was cooked-up, again, literally, by the group RICI, an acronym for the Rehoboth Inspired Chefs Initiative. Based downtown, the collaboration is designed to promote philanthropic organizations while also promoting the use of locally sourced goods and services and environmentally sustainable purchasing practices. In other words they have a passion for great cuisine and want to use it to support the community.
To that end, last year, by producing the first Taste of Rehoboth, RICI, in partnership with Milton’s Dogfish Head Brewery, raised over $11,000 for the Food Bank of Delaware.
Planning to build on that success, RICI will present the Second Annual Taste of Rehoboth, on Thursday, August 21, from 5-8 p.m. at the Rehoboth Convention Center. Tickets are $50 and on sale at A(muse), Eden, Espuma, Hobo’s, Azura, Mixx, and Rehoboth Beach Main Street.
And it’s easy to see why. Ticket holders will enjoy live cooking demos from area chefs and food samples from nearly 20 of Rehoboth’s best restaurants. There will be wine and Dogfish Head beer pairings, live music from local bands, and a silent and live auction. The event will also serve as a food drive and the public is encouraged to bring canned goods to donate directly to the Food Bank.
Lion Gardner, Executive Chef at The Blue Moon is a spokesperson for RICI and says that, “Beyond raising the money for the Food Bank, the event really brings the downtown restaurant community together. As you know in Rehoboth we are lucky enough to have a pretty tight-knit group of restaurants and restaurant professionals who are all passionate about the industry and the community.”
Gardner is hoping that the passion is contagious and inspires others to get involved as well, “Which is the real goal behind the whole RICI experiment in the first place,” he says. Gardner also believes the restaurant community gained a sense of empowerment from the inaugural event, that will perhaps lead to even larger endeavors in the future.
While the event last year was well-attended and lively, Gardner noted that there was a bit of sadness, too. “Many of us had been close with Leo Medisch from the Back Porch Café. He was a great person and an excellent chef, and his passing last summer was a huge loss for Rehoboth. As I looked around and saw the wonderful event, I was sad that he couldn’t be there.”
Taste of Rehoboth is open to all ages and the proceeds will again benefit the Food Bank of Delaware. For more information, call 302-226-2226. For information, contact RICI by emailing hari@ amuse-rehoboth.com.
Purchase your tickets now at the participating venues and get ready for a mouth-watering experience.