Held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the annual April Masters of Taste event is more than a luxury food event – proceeds from the delicious event benefit Union Station Homeless Services, an organization devoted to helping the homeless. If you’re looking for a food festival with a heart – as well as a way to tickle your taste buds, this is it.
Guests dined on delicious and ample samples from over 40 chefs and restaurants, 25 cocktail purveyors, wineries, and breweries.
Wonderful food from desserts to drinks were served up from white tents on the field of the Rose Bowl. It’s a thrill to just enter the stadium – some stands are set up just outside, including one of several booths offering information from Union Station. Once you step inside, you feel a part of the lush grandeur of the grassy field, and enjoy a lovely setting that includes both sit-down and standing tables, vases of flowers, and food-focused demonstrations and seminars from master chefs.
Highlights were many, and the fresh greens of spring – from matcha desserts and teas to sunny salads and soups – were everywhere.
Above and below – the perfect green delights from Matcha Matcha – a mango and matcha flavored drink, and matcha rice crispy treats.
We loved the delicious mac n’ cheese with aged cheddar and Gruyere plus veggies from Granville – which just opened a new outpost in Pasadena; chilled pea and watercress soup from Wax Paper and Lingua Franca; World Empanadas were terrific; so was the Dungeness Crab Tostada from The Kitchen for Exploring Foods.
Mrs. Fish served up inventive sushi samples, while Patina offered perfectly prepared and presented scallops with edible flowers in crisp pastry “cones.”
Pasta delights from Celestino…
and creamy pesto from Prince of Venice…
Immordl Nitro Coffee was the perfect beverage to recharge energy and keep on tasting.
Or perhaps a crisp white wine or rich red was more your cup of … well, not tea.
Los Angeles Ale Works offered Palmera Pils, a delicious pilsner with fizzy carbonation; American Born Moonshine offered a potent drink…
But the fruity flavors of Wild Roots vodka were also a big hit.
Beyond refreshing, the terrific organic tastes of Dry Sparkling mineral water included our favorite, lavender.
Buzzbox Cocktails offered an easy-carry, pre-mixed option.
Fresh fruit punch with my tostada from The Kitchen for Exploring Foods? Yes, please.
Below: Desserts were delicious, from Lark Cake Shop cupcakes to vegan ice pops from Nomad.
Mignon Chocolate not only featured a larger-than-life chocolate bunny, they had a chocolate fountain, too, with marshmallows to dip.
Lady M Cake Boutique did not disappoint either, with light fluffy squares of cake: yes, matcha was one of the flavors – it’s a trend in LA.
Lemon cheesecake? Chocolate cheese cake? A sample of both please, from among the gorgeous selections at Fantasy Frostings
Don’t miss the event next year — from an iconic setting to innovative food, and a great mix of sweets, drinks, appetizers, and mains. And in the meantime, do reach out to support Union Station Homeless Services.
– Genie Davis; photos: Genie Davis