A large crowd took over Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle Area as locals enjoyed “Taste of Bethesda” on Oct. 5.
Attendees were greeted with sensory overload as they approached the festival. Music from one of the four stages played as guests purchased tickets at the price of four for $5, which they could then exchange for food.
Festivalgoers, volunteers and those who represented the restaurants alike seemed to be in high spirits despite the heat.
“Today’s been great,” Mark Becraft, executive chef at the Bethesda location of Café Deluxe, said. “We’ve had a nice flow of people coming in. We’re staying in the lines of our goal within our company, which is hot, fresh food served as fast as we can.”
Café Deluxe served gourmet lamb sliders with goat cheese and spinach on a potato roll and fresh hummus with carrot sticks topped with oregano and sea salt. Behind the booth was School of Communication junior Mallory Kuenzi, a server at the restaurant as well as an intern in the marketing department at the corporate level.
The event featured cuisines from around the world with multiple Italian, Indian, Chinese and American options. The most popular booth was BGR The Burger Joint, which served sliders and sweet potato fries. The line extended halfway through the length of the festival as some people waited a half hour for a taste.
The warm weather worked in almost everyone’s favor—except for Quatremaine Coffee’s. The Bethesda-specific chain was experiencing a significant lack of customers due to the high temperatures, who avoided their locally roasted hot coffee. However, CEO and owner Carolyn Weinberg remained optimistic as the day progressed.
“It’s a beautiful day, there’s people out and they get to see our name so we’re still marketing to the community and that’s good,” she said.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
