Taste of Maitland takes over Lake Lily Oct. 15

On Monday, Oct. 15, the Maitland Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its 15th annual Taste of Maitland. There will be 40 featured restaurants and two live bands.

“This year what’s a little different is that we are selling a table for $299 and with that you get eight tickets to the Taste of Maitland event and the table will be on reserve somewhere in the park with a tablecloth and eight chairs,” said Lynn Threlkeld, a real estate agent who has chaired the event for three years.

There will be restaurants from last year returning such as Antonio’s La Fiamma Ristorante, Sam Snead’s Tavern, SoNapa Grille, RanGetsu and Bubbalou’s BBQ.

Purchase tickets and view a list of the participating restaurants at tasteofmaitland.com. For more information about the event, Judy Lee, the administrator at the chamber can be contacted at [email protected]

Hector Ponce, the partner and owner of RanGetsu, moved RanGetsu from its location of 25 years on I-drive to Maitland so it could be in a more centralized place. He’s excited for the event just across the lake from his sushi restaurant.

“Having the event at Lake Lily gives people outside of Maitland the chance to see what Maitland has to offer,” Ponce said.

Along with these returning restaurants, there are some new ones such as Francesco’s Ristorante, Longwood’s Enzo’s on the Lake, Upper Crust Desserts, Jersey Mike’s and Sheraton Grand Café.

Francesco’s opened about four months ago. Maria Simmons, the restaurant’s marketing consultant, said Francesco’s is excited to participate because it gives them the opportunity to meet the people they cook for. They want to give back to the community and this is an opportunity to do that.

“In addition to our vegetarian and non-vegetarian food options, we will be featuring an opera singer, pending the weather,” Simmons said.

There will be music to complement the picturesque landscape. That includes jazz band John Valeri & Friends. JazzTastings, a new local jazz club, has sponsored the band to attend the event.

“It’s just a great evening of delicious food and great entertainment. This year we have a non-profit, Crime Line, that will be raffling off a trip to Napa Valley and they are sponsoring the beer and wine sales,” Threlkeld said.