The Taste and Sounds of Old Town comes to Old Town Goleta, 1-5 p.m. Saturday, June 8, opening with the music of Soul Machine playing old-school sounds of funk, dance and R&B in the beer/wine garden, 5901 Hollister Ave.
The Taste is a community fundraiser for the Goleta Christmas Parade.
Patrons will receive a wristband entitling them to taste at 16 destinations along the Taste Route, from historic to modern. Some highlights include:
The Habit in Old Town — the original one, opened in 1969. The Old Town Habit still serves up the Original Chili Burger, the only Habit in the country to do so.
Iconic Pepe’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant; Asian stars Gimeal and Pattaya Thai; and new kids on the block, the Old Town Coffee Company.
“One of the delights of the Taste is to try restaurants you didn’t even know were there,” said Phebe Mansur, Goleta Old Town Community Association Board member.
“These are the authentic longtime mom-and-pop eateries with amazing food that only locals know about, ” Mansur said.
Goleta Old Town Community Association (GOTCA) is a local community nonprofit that puts on the event. GOTCA also hosts a Halloween Candy Crawl, area clean-ups, and the Goleta Christmas Parade.
The group recently won national recognition in the Neighborhoods USA Neighborhood of the Year competition.
“People don’t know just how much life there is in Old Town.” said GOTCA board member Grace Wallace. “We have a lot to offer. We’re excited for people to come out and visit Old Town for a unique experience, and to discover new favorite haunts.”
“People need to approach this like Thanksgiving. The Taste is a restaurant crawl with over 20 unique and flavorful tastes on offer – come ready to eat,” said GOTCA board member Mark Navarro.
“We’ve warned the judges to starve themselves in advance of the event: Mayor Paula Perotte, Councilmember Kyle Richards, County Supervisor Gregg Hart, and Gary from the Gary and Catherine Morning Show on KLITE 101.7 FM,” he said.
“Expect these restaurants to try to win you over at the door, and impress you with their cuisine. Some intend to stuff you with so much great food that you can’t make it to another Taste destination, which is not a bad strategy,” he said.
In addition to formal judging, all Taste patrons get to select their favorites for the People’s Choice awards: Best of the Taste in flavor, presentation, and hospitality.
The Taste also hosts a beer/wine/cider garden at Prestigious Auto where patrons can try local brews from hometown establishments Santa Barbara Cider Company and M Special.
Windrun Wines is pouring a locally crafted Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, from very limited stock. Goleta Winery SAMsARA’s crisp wines will also be poured. The first drink is included with a Taste ticket.
Tickets are on sale at goletataste.com. Advance tickets receive a $5 discount. Members of Goleta Old Town Community Association also receive a $5 discount.
Taste and Sounds of Old Town lineup:
Beer/Wine/Cider Garden:
Santa Barbara Cider Company.
M Special Brewery
Goleta Sanitary District Beer brewed using recycled water
SANsARA Winery
Windrun Winery
Santa Barbara Woodfired Pizza Catering Company
Flightline Cafe — pulled pork sliders
Three Pickles Deli
The Taste route:
Alphie’s breakfast
Cindy’s Produce
Del Valle Grill for ceviche or carnitas tacos
Domingo’s Cafe
El Guerrerita
El Sitio
Gimeal Cafe
La Chapala Market
La Hacienda
Mercury Lounge
Old Town Coffee Company
Pattaya Thai
San Marcos Farms Honey
Change Your Life Chocolates
Santa Cruz Market
Pepe’s Mexican Food
The Habit Old Town Goleta
Goleta Valley Community Center will host a refreshment station with hibiscus tea, and iced fruit teas from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
Sponsors of the 2019 Taste and Sounds of Old Town: Community West Bank, presenting sponsor;American Riviera Bank, Santa Cruz Market, Prestigious Autobody, Rincon Broadcasting — KLITE 101.7; Noozhawk; Giffin Rentals and Santa Barbara Independent.
— Sharon Byrne for Goleta Old Town Community Association.