Each year during Labor Day weekend, the LA Times hosts their annual “The Taste”. This event features food and beverage tastings from some of the hottest restaurants in LA. Attendees may also attend cooking and beverage demonstrations by some of the most notable chefs and mixologists in LA. My recap of last year’s opening night is here.
This year’s event returns to the Paramount backlot and is from Friday, Aug 30 – Sunday, Sept. 1. It is a three-day celebration of food, wine, spirits, and craft cocktails. The event has benefitted from the many years this has taken place and the LA Times’ staff have made adjustments to improve the event each year.
Photo Credit: Stefania Rossini, Giorgia Sinatra
Friday’s opening night features an Italian cooking demonstration and wine discussion featuring Paola Da Re and Giorgia Sinatra (Pasta Sisters) and Chiara Soldati (La Scolca), presented by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. If you enjoy learning about Italian food, this should definitely be worthwhile to attend. Pasta Sisters is a fantastic hidden find.
Each evening, more than 40 restaurants and over 25 wine and spirit vendors will have tables set up on the Paramount lot. If there are certain restaurants that you definitely want to try, make sure you see them early in the evening since lines quickly assemble. Some of this year’s notable restaurants include Hamasaku, Love and Salt, Ma’am Sir, Otium, Prawn Coastal, and Redbird.
Some of the restaurants present on Saturday and Sunday include Baltaire, Cafe Birdie, Cal Mare, Faith and Flower, Firefly, Jitlada, Little Sister, and Pikoh. For a detailed list of the attendees by day, please see this link.
LOS ANGELES WEEKEND EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday, August 30 • 7:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 31 • 7:30 – 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 1 • 7:30 – 10:30 p.m.
The LA Times also hosts an Orange County version of their event. Make sure to save Friday, Oct. 18 on your calendar for their Costa Mesa weekend of The Taste. This is their second year at hosting the event in Orange County. My recap of last year’s event is here.
This is one of the most fun and interesting food and beverage events I attend each year. The Taste offers me a one-stop location to enjoy some of the best finds in LA. Information and tickets to the events may be found on their website: events.latimes.com/taste