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New items spice up Zephyrhills tasting event
By MOLLY MOORHEAD ZEPHYRHILLS -- In addition to food samples from nearly 40 local restaurants, Saturday's Tastin' Away in Zephyritaville had a few new offerings. After the event received mixed reviews last year, organizers changed the ticket pricing, allowed service of beer and wine and hired a live band to provide entertainment. "It was wonderful," said Cynthia Craig, executive director of Main Street Zephyrhills, which sponsored the event. "Having the band and the beer and wine really helped." The event, in its third year, drew several new participating restaurants. Tickets, which were used to buy samples from the restaurants, were sold in sheets of 10 for $5. Manolo's Ristorante Italiano on Fifth Avenue, which opened in September, was one of the newcomers. "It was fantastic," said floor manager Phyllis Bean. "I never saw so many people in one place." Craig estimates that the event drew 4,000 people, a vast improvement over last year, when rain kept the crowds away and prompted restaurants to fold up and leave early. David Ericson, who paid $10 admission last year and ended up eating dinner at Village Inn, didn't go back. "Never again," he said. He went to the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival instead. But Gary Oesch of Zephyrhills was won over. "The thing that really impressed me was the places had really reasonable prices," Oesch said, noting that Taste of Tampa, a similar event in Hillsborough, is typically very expensive. Oesch took his wife, Carole, and daughter, Sarah, 12. He said many food items cost just two or three tickets, so the family had plenty to eat for around $20. "It was a lot of fun. You actually could go around and sample some places."
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From today's Pasco Times Letters |
