Nearly every town has a food-tasting event, but Taste of Vero, hosted by the Oceanside Business Association, has a little something extra – lovely ocean breezes and the backdrop of an azure blue sea. It is a great way for locals and tourists alike to try mouthwatering samples of the best Vero restaurants have to offer.
Many of the last-minute ticket buyers who got to Sexton Plaza last Wednesday evening, hoping to enjoy delicious food and drink with their friends, left empty-handed, discovering that all 450 tickets had already been sold.
“I was late but I have always been able to walk up and get a ticket, but they were sold out tonight,” said County Administrator Joe Baird. “That just tells you how good the event is and it is a great thing to see class events like this here doing so well. Tourism is up 20 percent this year and I think that says that we have been found.”
The event is a wonderful partnership between local sponsor businesses, who dress up the booths in hopes of winning a Best-Themed Booth Award, and fabulous restaurants whose chefs put their best plate forward competing for the People’s Choice Best Food Award.
“The OBA decided Taste of Vero would be our premier fundraiser to supplement costs to our concerts, Christmas Parade and other events as it helped promote our members,” said Georgia Irish, OBA president. “We keep doing events here to keep people in the community coming to our beachside businesses and keep us on the map.”
In a very successful strategy, tickets are now sold through the Riverside Theatre box office, making it more convenient than ever to purchase them.
“Hopefully next year we can sell even more,” said Jon Moses, Riverside Theatre’s Managing Director. “All this week we kept hearing people call for tickets and we were sold out, so that tells me there was a greater demand this year.”
Riverside and Costa d’Este paired up this year, with the theater offering patrons a chance to spin a wheel to win tickets to its final show, Memphis, while the resort’s restaurant, The Wave presented ropa vieja (Cuban-style shredded beef) in a yucca cup to happy diners.
The aroma was temptingly tantalizing all along Ocean Drive, from Beachland Boulevard to Humiston Park, with food, drink and sponsor tents interspersed with musical entertainment, giving an overall feel of an upscale block party.
The First Place award for Outstanding Food went to Countryside Citrus, for its key lime pie, bread pudding with orange sauce and mimosas. Second Place went to the Vero Beach Yacht Club which served a myriad of dishes including an outstanding tuna ahi that had long lines of guests waiting for a taste.
First Place for Best-Themed Booth went to Daley & Company Real Estate, which sponsored Chive Restaurant with a fun Gilligan’s Island theme and Second Place was won by Norris & Company Real Estate, which sponsored Blue Agave, for its Mexican-themed tent, complete with Estrellas de Mexico, a three-piece mariachi band.