LA Times The Taste 2015 Recap

It was another amazing year to be in attendance for LA Times The Taste Food & Wine festival at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.  There’s something so different about this festival that makes it stand out from other festivals. It really is the largest, most organized neighborhood party with everyone in LA that has anything to do with food and drinks in attendance. There’s desserts to fried chicken, squid to tacos, wine, beer, photo booths, panels, chef demonstrations, did I mention photo booths? ha ha there were quite a few on hand this year to capture the fun moments. Friday night was kick off night for The Taste festivities followed by day and night events on Saturday and Sunday.

You could feel the enormity of the event right when you walked through the Paramount gates. The red carpet that followed was so indicative to Hollywood and once again they had the ginormous chalk board that everyone signed which was just cool in itself. It was so obvious that a ton of creative planning went in to making sure everything was in the right place because it all flowed so smoothly. There were more than enough high top tables for people to find refuge with their handfuls of small plates and drinks and there were plenty of strategically placed garbage cans. As a food blogger it gets a little tricky carrying a camera, a drink or two and small plates with vendor samples. Another thing I really liked about this festival was the thought put into their “cool down” spots. It was nice to have a place to sit for a minute that was indoors especially during the day time festivities which I’m sure was a result of the insane heat that flowed through the Paramount streets last year. They literally used every nook and cranny of that lot to make it even better for people coming through this year.

This festival offers something for everyone. Demo’s and panels at three different stages throughout the studio lot made getting to one simple. It’s such a great way to get up close and personal with the creative folks who are such a huge part of the LA food scene. There was the Macy’s Culinary stage, the Taste Culinary stage and The Taste Bar Stage. The “cool down” spots were the Arts and Culture Lounge which was an artsy fully air conditioned pit stop with free flowing champagne. The Cool Down Cafe by Delta was a party in itself with the Coolhaus crew making customized ice cream sandwiches. The VIP lounge was great for a quick beer and to catch our breath before heading back out for more tastings and The LA Time Subscriber Lounge for LA Times Subscribers was beautiful with white lined tables and entertainers (which was a reminder of how it pays off to be a Times subscriber). We saw little kids trying out new foods and having a blast and even chatted with a 91 year old first timer enjoying her glass of white wine during Saturdays Field to Fork day time event. The vendors are so accessible and were having just as much fun being there as the people attending.

This is one of those food & wine festivals that you wish would never end.