Treats & Delights At The Taste Of Tribeca

– MAY 24, 2011
Downtown Magazine (www.downtownmagazinenyc.com)

The blue skies and warm weather surged a great turn out at Taste of Tribeca festival on Saturday, but it was really the mass number of people from the community, including 72 participating restaurants volunteering their time and efforts, which made it a success.

This year marked 17 years for TOT, an annual event that offers samplings from local restaurants as well as other attractions to raise money for arts and enrichment programs at two public schools, P.S. 150 and P.S. 234, both local to Tribeca area.

“There are about 6,000 to 7,000 people here, and we are expecting about 4,500 ticket sales,” Parent Co-Chair of TOT Jimmy Carbone said.

Pixie Yates, designer of TOT shirts and bags on sale to further fundraising has been working on the project for several months prior, along with graphic designer Don Zinzell.

Christine Widga, a representative at Wat-aah! specialty water, a company that originated in Tribeca back in 2008 said they were donating 100%  of the sales from Wat-aah! to the school funds.

“It is fun to be here with everyone every year,” said Emmanuelle Chiche, managing director from The Bubble Lounge. “[The festival] has gotten so big!”

As the founder and executive director of Manhattan Youth, Bob Townley has strong ties to the cause, as he operates all of the after school programs for the receiving schools.

For the event, MY provided activities for kids, such as puppet making and clay creations.

Along with after school programs, MY operates the downtown community center.

“We take care of about 2,000 children every week,” said Townley who is also a founding supporter and member of TOT.

Along with MY arts and crafts, children at the event enjoyed a Kid’s Zone, sponsored by 250 West Street, which included a spacious playground, shaded by the park’s foliage.

The two restaurants that consistently drew the largest lines were 92Y Tribeca Cafe, who served crispy potato pancakes with house made gravlox and sweet mustard dill sauce, and Marc Forgione with High Plains Bison who served prime rib and ramp chimichurri with smoked salt.

Wine stores in the vicinity, including Chambers Street Wines, Frankly Wines, Maslow 6, Tribeca Wine Merchants, and Vestry Wines also offered free wine samples to compliment the great variety of cuisine at the festival.

Whether you were seated or making your way through the crowd, you could hear the sounds of jazz and a light banjo by Swing Banjoist Cynthia Sayer & Her Sparks Fly Band, sponsored by City Winery.

The music was a treat for the ears, as was the food a treat for the stomach, but perhaps the biggest treat was for the heart, by witnessing such a great collaboration of efforts and playing a part in the cause.

For more information on TOT, please visit TasteOfTribeca.com

-Vanessa Voigt