Taste of Oakland on May 8 Offers Great Recipe for Food And Fun

A Taste of Oakland 2003 on May 8 will offer just the right ingredients for an evening of food and fun. There’ll be tasty morsels and beverages from a variety of Oakland’s restaurateurs, garnished with lively blues music and spirited dance performances.

Sponsored by the Oakland Convention & Visitors Bureau (OCVB) in partnership with Jack London Square, the food-tasting event will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Oakland Convention Center at 1001 Broadway in downtown Oakland.

"A Taste of Oakland is a great way to get a little sampling—literally—of Oakland’s ethnic diversity and variety of fun things to do," says Manette Belliveau, executive director of the OCVB. "These experiences are what Oakland’s all about. There’s food to satisfy most any appetite, and it’s a great value for a relaxed night out."

Oakland’s unique districts will be re-created at the event, including downtown and City Center; Jack London Square and the waterfront; Lake Merritt; and Fruitvale. A Pacific Rim area will represent the city’s many Asian cultures and there’ll even be "tailgating" at the Oakland Coliseum and Arena district and a place to relax under the trees of an Oakland "park."

Entertainment will include the distinctive music of the popular Bay Area Blues Society, and performances by Dance-A-Vision, Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Carlos Moreno flamingo dancers, and Lion Dancing.

Exhibitors will represent a range of Oakland attractions enjoyed by visitors and locals, among them the Oakland Zoo, Gondola Servizio, Children’s Fairyland, Chabot Space & Science Center, and the Dunsmuir Historic Estate.

A Taste of Oakland will also include the annual presentation of the OCVB’s Richard I. Spees Hospitality Award to the individual who has contributed in an exceptional way to the health and economic vitality of Oakland’s $1 billion travel industry.

A raffle drawing for two valuable travel packages will top off the evening’s fun. The packages include two round-trip tickets to Chicago on Southwest Airlines with accommodations for three nights at the Hotel Allegro Chicago; and two round-trip tickets to Reno on Southwest Airlines with two nights at the Silver Legacy Hotel. Winners must be present to be awarded a prize.