Thanks for Supporting the Taste of HB

Thanks to the generous support of people like you, the 2010 Taste Committee is pleased to announce a donation of $25,000 to the Friends of the Children's Library (FOTCL). This is a 25% increase over the amount raised at last year's event!

These funds will be used to purchase books for the HB Children's Library and to support a variety of educational programs & informative activities for the children in our community. Once again -- THANK YOU!

Ready For The Taste?

We certainly are! This morning's count was 46 restaurants, 5 nonalcoholic beverages, 7 breweries and distributors, and 18 wineries and distributors pouring more than 30 great wines!

Before they are sold out -- don't miss this opportunity to upgrade general admission tickets to VIP status for just $20 more per ticket. The perks are terrific: 11 AM entry into a special VIP waiting area where you can sip champagne from Barefoot Bubbly while enjoying cheese and crackers and listening to the music of our live entertainment, the Sportin' Woodies.

You will also receive a free 10th anniversary Taste of HB T-shirt, our traditional souvenir wine glass, and a special VIP champagne flute pictured on the right.

And thanks to Brett Barnes & Duke's for donating a fantastic Hawaiian getaway vacation available to all who purchase a ticket. As a special reward, VIP status gives you a second ticket for this vacation that includes airfare, accommodations, and some meals.

And we're saving the best for last - all VIPs get early entry into the Taste tent (you will be inside at least 10 minutes before the main gates open)! Don't miss out on this incredible deal -- we are limiting VIPs to 200 lucky people, so get your upgrade before they are gone.

Please go to our website www.TasteHB.com NOW!

See you at the Taste --

Donations to the Silent Auction that Benefits the HB Children's Library

Here are just a few of the businesses that are donating goods and services to our silent auction. Please support our HB Children's Library by bidding on these items:

Personal Care and Services: Sharp Sparkle Housecleaning, Sandi and Mary at Shear Wonders Hair Salon, Body and Sol Tanning, Doggietown USA, Daniel & Co. Hair Salon, Bradford Renaissance Portraits, and Rowley Portraiture

Museums and Zoos: Aquarium of the Pacific, Bowers Museum, LA Zoo, The Reagan and The Nixon Presidential Libraries, Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana Zoo, Museum of Tolerance, and OC Museum of Art.

Retail Stores: Beef Palace, Harry's Fine Jewelry, Jonathon's Coastal Living, Jack's Surfboards, and Shopakemi.com

Sports Teams: LA Dodgers, LA Sparks, and Angels Baseball

More Wineries Coming to the Taste!

We've added even more of your favorite wineries to the Taste for your sampling enjoyment:

From Heck Estates Distributors - Kenwood, Valley of the Moon Winery, and Lake Sonoma Winery

From Wine Warehouse – Raymond, J.Lohr, Pendroncelli, Marin Ray, Angeline, Ecco Comani, and Louis M. Martini

We've also arranged to have these restaurants join us for the very first time: Sandy’s at the Beach (formerly Chimayos), Whole Foods Market, and The Corner Gourmet - SEE YOU AT THE TASTE!

Silent Auction News

Have you ever checked out the silent auction run by the Friends of the Children's Library at the Taste? For the last few months they've been collecting some terrific goods and services from local businesses in the area. These items will be offered to the highest bidder during the Taste:

Wouldn't you love to take home one of 4 one day Park Hopper tickets to Disneyland and California Adventure, or maybe two admissions to Universal Studios Hollywood? We have tickets to Adventure City, the Aquarium of the Pacific, and Wild Rivers Water Park. How about a Gondola Romance cruise? Treat your sweetie to a quiet dinner for Sunday brunch at the award-winning Five Crowns restaurant in Corona Del Mar, or throw your date to the excitement of gliding on Segways for an hour before enjoying dinner at the Black Bull Chop House from GW Segway Tours.

Explorer the many wonderful things that SoCal offers - The Museum of Tolerance in LA, the Santa Ana Zoo, The OC Fair, or The OC Museum of Art. Immerse yourself in history at the Reagan or the Nixon Presidential Library,or follow the ponies at the Los Al Racecourse --

At the Taste you can bid on all of these items and many, many more -- watch for the next silent auction posting. And don't forget -- buy your tickets for the Taste NOW to avoid the $10 per ticket price increase in 2 weeks!

Wines and Beers For Your Tasting Pleasure

A terrific selection of wineries and breweries are signing up for this year’s Taste. Join us - and enjoy sips from these great wineries: Christian Lazo, Stacked Stone, Toucan, OC, Wente Brothers, Barefoot, Pacifico Sur, Talin Cellars, and Jean De Roze.

We’re also featuring wines from Rex Goliath, Blackstone, Ravenswood, Monkey, Robert Mondavi, Clos Du Bois, Cupcake, Tempra, Mutt Lynch, Brophy Clark, Kallfelz, San Marcos Creek, Calacerous Winery, Constellation Wines, and Cayucos Cellars.

Beer lovers can try a great variety of brews: Sierra Nevada, Firestone, New Belgium, and Brewbakers - as well as Primo Beer, Palm Beer, and Boston Beer

The Sportin' Woodies - Live at the Taste!

We've got some great entertainment lined up just for you -

The Sportin' Woodies - With their roots in the blues, Willie Utley, Jack Lillycrop and Gerry Springthorpe have been performing together for over ten years in southern California bands like Big Neal and the Blue Rhythm Band, Push-Button Trany, and Who's Yer Daddy. Their current ensemble, The Sportin' Woodies', led by Utley and now joined by Eddie Mariscal on Guitar and Joel Helin on bass, offers an eclectic mix of songs spanning four decades of music history, including selections of jump-swing, blues, classic rhythm 'n' blues, surf guitar and rock.

10 More Reasons To Come To Taste 2010

Here are a few more places we just added to the list: Surf City Catering, The Lazy Dog Cafe, Victorian Catering, Mothers Market, Good To Go Restaurant, Ruby Palace, BJ’s Pizza, Pete’s Sunset Grill, Nonna Lucci’s, and Tom Girl Baking Company!

Already have a ticket and want to upgrade to VIP STATUS? Tickets purchased at the library should be returned there for exchange. If you bought your ticket online, go to www.TasteHB.com. All others please contact info@TasteHB.com.

We've Got More of Your Favoriites!

Check out this all-star lineup of more eateries coming to the Taste

Spark Woodfire Grill, Don Ramon’s Mexican Restaurant, Supermex, Poverello Coffee, Zubie's Dry Dock, Shades Restaurant at the Waterfront Hilton, Avila’s El Ranchito Cantina, Teazazz, Stonefire Grill, and Market Broiler.

VIP TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Go to our website www.TasteHB.com and click on the ticket logo - only 200 lucky people will get all the great perks that come with VIP status - buy your VIP tickets now!

Sneak Peek at This Year's Restaurant Line-up

The Taste is lining up the best eateries in town just for you! Here is a first look at some confirmed restaurants -

You can count on us to bring back everyone's favorites: Fred's Mexican Café, Kitty's Catering, Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill, Dukes Restaurant, The Longboard Restaurant & Pub, Shorebreak Hotel, Tommy Pastrami, and Suzanne's Catering & Event Planning Co.

But check out these great places joining us for the first time this year: Ra Sushi, Deli-Licious Catering, Mangiamo Gelato Caffe, Simply Layered Catering, and Outback Steakhouse.
More to come...check back soon -

Aloha Taste fans!

Hawaii here you come! One lucky person who buys a ticket to the 2010 Taste will win a fabulous Hawaiian getaway package that includes airfare and accommodations. You don't have to do anything -- your ticket stub will be your entry form for this incredible door price available to everyone that purchases a ticket to the "one price, all inclusive event that tastes so good!" (you do not need to be present at the at the drawing on Sunday, April 25 to win).

And do you want a second chance at this great giveaway? and get a Taste T-shirt, a commemorative wine glass, 11 AM entry into our special Barefoot Bubbly Champagne pavilion, and more? Then buy a special VIP ticket available March 1. If you were one of the lucky people that already bought tickets we will contact you about how you can become a Taste VIP. Remember ticket prices go up in 10 days so buy your tickets NOW.

Want a chance to win an all-inclusive Hawaiian getaway?

You heard it here first - everyone who buys a ticket to the 2010 Taste of HB will receive a chance to win a fabulous Hawaiian vacation package that includes airfare and accommodations! Check back on Friday, February 19 for more details.

And don't miss out --$50 tickets will be around for only 13 more days, so grab them while they're hot. Watch this blog for info about our first ever ticket upgrade to a special VIP package that offers great perks, including early entry into the Taste.

Big News Coming March 1st!

You talked - we listened. For the first time, we will be offering early entry into the Taste as part of our 10th anniversary VIP package! This special offer includes several other desirable perks! Check back for more information in the coming days!

The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift!

Looking for the perfect Valentine's Day gift? Want something tastier than a box of chocolates? Would you like the memories to last longer than a dozen roses?
Take your sweetie to the Taste of Huntington Beach! Decorative Valentine's Day Gift certificates are now on sale at the HB Central Library Reception Desk and online at www.tastehb.com.

Make a Positive Impact on the Children of HB

Your participation in the Taste - whether as a sponsor, a donor to our silent action, a volunteer, or a ticket buyer - helps keep our vibrant and bustling HB Children’s Library the cornerstone of early literacy and success in school for the children in our community.

From last week's city administrator's report: The increased demand for library services has been widely reported around the country. Nowhere is the trend more apparent than here in Huntington Beach; Monday, December 4, had the highest recorded number of books borrowed and returned at the library. The library checked out 6,133 books and checked in 10,915 in one day. This record number of checkouts tops the previous high by 838 books. This sort of demand can be challenging, but reinforces the library's importance to the community.

Help our children’s library grow and prosper - support the 2010 Taste!

Gift Certificates On Sale

You can now buy gift certificates for Taste 2010. Stop by the Circulation Desk of the HB Public Library (7111 Talbert Avenue) or click on the Buy tickets NOW link on the right.

Gift certificates are available for the special presale price of $50 - tickets will be $65 at the door! Make plans to join us today.