Food and knowledge went hand in hand at the first Taste of Weehawken, as more than 350 hungry visitors sampled the culinary delights of the township and neighboring communities to raise money for the local library.
“This has been an overwhelming success, and I would like to thank everyone who participated in this event for their commitment and support of the Weehawken Free Public Library Multi-Media Center,” Mayor Richard Turner told participants of the event, held at The Food Court at Lincoln Harbor two weeks ago.
Chefs from approximately 20 fine dining restaurants and culinary institutions from Weehawken, Hoboken and Union City offered generous samplings of their cuisine at the event, which raised funds to benefit children and adult cultural programming, historical preservation and provide a lecture series at the Weehawken Free Public Library Multi-Media Center.
The tickets were $50 and $25 each, and the restaurants donated food for the event.
In addition to the cuisine, “A Taste of Weehawken” featured wine tasting.
Patrons were also treated to flower arrangements by the Ikenobo Ikabana Society of New Jersey, an organization devoted to the 500-year old Japanese flower arranging tradition.
Weehawken High School’s jazz ensemble and music teacher Pierro Romano performed throughout the event.
Participating restaurants were: Arthur’s Landing, Spirito Grill, Dry Dock Restaurants, The Chart House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Kawabae, Horizon Cruises, Anthony David Gourmet Specialties, Kings Supermarkets, The Brass Rail, Kitchen Catering, Beyti Kebab Restaurant, Amanda’s Madison Bar & Grill, Urban Kitchen and Weehawken High School’s culinary arts program. Sparrow’s of Hoboken provided the wine tasting.
Attendees were also offered the opportunity to win door prizes from local businesses. They were: dinner for two at The Chart House and a stay at the Sheraton, dinner for two at the Spirito Grill and a stay at the Sheraton, and a cruise of New York Harbor provided by New York Waterways.
The library also unveiled its “Tree of Knowledge,” which allows library supporters to buy “leaves,” “acorns” and “branches,” which will be engraved with names of acknowledgment. The tree is installed in the entrance of the library.
For information, call the library at 863-7823.