 A record crowd of event guests, sponsors, volunteers and restaurant vendors made the 20th annual A Taste of Worthington event, presented by the Chamber on July 15, the tastiest in the event's history.
Nearly 3,500 hungry guests filled the parking area of OfficeScape Corporate Center, 350 W. Wilson Bridge Road, for the event. The Shops at Worthington Place was the presenting event sponsor.  | | Blue Frost Cupcakes |
 After sampling more than 50 appetizers, entrées and desserts in a wide range of culinary styles, served by 23 area restaurants, guests voted on their favorites in a friendly "People's Choice" competition.
Two veteran winners, Willow Brook Christian Home and J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood, were among top winners again this year, and a newcomer, Rivage Atlantique, made the competition a closely contested race, dominating second place in two of the categories with seafood specialties.  | | Caramelized chicken-lime skewers from Willow Brook |
 | | Lobster roll and crayfish étouffée from Rivage |
J. Liu, Cameron's and Bridgewater Banquet & Conference Center, always strong contenders, showed up on the winner's list again this year. But birthday-party fare, cupcakes and ice cream, stole the hearts of dessert samplers, as Blue Frost Cupcake and Graeter's, both new to the event, satisfied sweet tooths. The results were: A Taste of Worthington 2011 - Peoples Choice Award Winners Appetizers First Place: Willow Brook Christian Home - Caramelized Chicken-Lime Skewers Second Place: Rivage Atlantique - Mini Lobster Roll Third Place: (Tie) J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steak & Seafood - Shrimp Durango and J. Liu Restaurant & Bar - Crab Rangoon  | | J. Gilbert's filet |
Entrées First Place: J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steak & Seafood - Filet Mignon with White Cheddar Chipotle Mashed Potatoes Second Place: Rivage Atlantique - Crayfish Étouffée Third Place: Cameron's American Bistro - Butter Cracker-Crusted Walleye with Garlic Mashed Potatoes in Chipotle Shallot Sauce Desserts First Place: Blue Frost Cupcake - Assorted Cupcakes & Mini-Cupcakes Second Place: Graeter's - "Big Scoops" of Assorted Ice Cream Flavors Third Place: Bridgewater Banquet & Conference Center - Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake  Food vendors included Blue Frost Cupcake; Bravo! Cucina Italiana; Bridgewater Banquet & Conference Center; Buffalo Wild Wings; Cameron's American Bistro; Cantina Laredo; Cheryl's Cookies; Cumin Indian Restaurant; Dairy Queen; Friendship Village of Columbus; G. Worthy's Bar and Grill; Graeter's; Greek Express & Acropolis; J. Gilbert's Wood Fired Steaks & Seafood; J. Liu Restaurant & Bar; The Laurels of Norworth & Worthington; Mojo TaGo; Old Bag of Nails Pub; Pastimes Pub & Grill; Rivage Atlantique; Rusty Bucket Corner Tavern; Willow Brook Christian Home; and The Worthington Inn.
Family entertainment, expanded for the 20-year anniversary celebration, included live music by Chasing Buckley and Smith & Wesson. The Columbus Crew offered a family activity area with several interactive features, and New Image Studios delighted visitors of all ages with a photo booth where visitors posed for instant photos to share with friends. Goddard School supervised a children's play area, and a new Chamber member, Let's Bounce, offered a "bounce house" for kid-friendly fun. Keller Williams Capital Partners/LaBuda Advantage Team and Mid-American Mortgage sponsored a caricature artist.  | | Volunteers sported colorful T-shirts from sponsor Absolute Impressions |
Guests made good use of a mobile ATM provided by Delaware County Bank & Trust, and the nearly 100 volunteers were treated to a special place to change clothes, relax with a cool drink and review their assignments, in a luxury motor coach from Coach Quarters. Cornhole competitions were conducted by Young Professionals of Worthington (YPoW), who also had a strong team of event clean-up volunteers.  | | Let's Bounce! |
In addition to The Shops at Worthington Place, other sponsors include Absolute Impressions Inc., the 2011 T-shirt sponsor, and corporate sponsors CME Federal Credit Union; DeVry University and Keller Graduate School of Management; Insight Bank; Keller Williams Capital Partners/LaBuda Advantage Real Estate Team; Mid-American Mortgage Solutions; Paradigm Properties of Ohio; Worthington Jewelers; and WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone.  | | Convenient on-site ATM |
Other event supporters included Chasing Buckley; City of Worthington; Coach Quarters; Columbus Crew; Goddard School; Mecca Painting; New Image Studios; Sam's Club; Smith & Wilson; Suncpics; Telhio Credit Union; ThisWeek Community Newspapers; Tilton's Automotive Service; and Worthington Schools.  | | Coach Quarters volunteer lounge |
A Taste of Worthington was planned and implemented by a committee of volunteers chaired by board members Paul Cynkar, Battelle for Kids, and Sheila Sinno, Sinno Law Office. | 
The event includes a camp volunteer project at YMCA North, 1640 Sandalwood Place, Columbus 43229, where summer camp is among many projects serving area youth. At the Y, volunteers will complete several large projects, such as painting, mulching/landscaping and odd jobs to renew and repair the facility. The volunteer activities will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. 
Following a one-hour break to clean up and/or change clothes, the after-party mixer for social and professional exchange will be held at House Wine, 644 High St., Worthington, from 5 to 7 p.m. Enjoy cheese and crackers sponsored by House Wine owner Donnie Austin -- and Happy Hour prices on many fine wines and beers. Also enjoy food from Rivage Atlantique sponsored by the Law Offices of Craig Bringman and Insurance Agencies of Ohio.
Calling all golfers ...
Several levels of sponsorship opportunities are available. You also may donate an item or gift certificate for the event raffle and other prizes to make the event even more enjoyable for participants. Click on the REGISTER NOW link above to review the benefits of each sponsor level, or call the Chamber Office at 888-3040 for information. 
