See text below • Click on photos to enlarge.

Festive Holiday Spirit, Great Food and Joyous Guests Make the 2019 Taste of Perth Amboy a Huge Success

Guests Sample Delicious Cuisine While Raising Funds for the Community’s Homeless Prevention Initiative

Press Release 12/16/19

Perth Amboy – A festive holiday spirit brought a boatload of guests together during the 2019 Taste of Perth Amboy. The annual event celebrates the international and American cuisine that chefs, dessert makers and food purveyors create in the community’s restaurants, eateries and bakeries. Marking the start of the “Season of Giving,” the Taste event raises funds for the community’s Homeless Prevention initiative.

More than 20 chefs, bakers and food artisans served the many guests who attended the Taste event, held aboard the Cornucopia Cruise Line’s St. Charles vessel. More than 170 enthusiastic attendees sampled delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts and sipped healthy beverages. Many restaurants decorated their serving areas with poinsettias, evergreen branches, red ribbons, colorful lights and more. 

The Taste is co-sponsored by the City of Perth Amboy and the Business Improvement District (BID). High school students from Perth Amboy’s Youth Alliance volunteered to help set up serving areas, serve food and clean up after the event.

Proceeds from the Taste will be donated to the not-for-profit Homeless Prevention initiative. The program is a joint effort of the Raritan Bay Area YMCA and God’s Army Ministries of New Jersey. Together, the organizations provide a range of supportive programs to homeless individuals and families throughout the year and especially during the winter months.

The Mayor said, “We are grateful that many chefs, restaurants, food purveyors and small business owners joined with us to present the Taste. Many people made an exceptional and enthusiastic effort to stage the Taste, which salutes our restaurants, eateries and food retailers. These businesses are a core part of our economy and we want to support them by shopping and dining in Perth Amboy.”

Members of the BID’s board of directors were the judges for this year’s Taste. BID Board Members Antonio Abreu, Elizabeth Sanchez and Jeff Steuber visited the eateries’ serving stations and sampled their creations. Then, the judges cast votes in three categories: presentation, taste and desserts. Also, guests at the Taste had the opportunity to vote for the restaurant, chef, eatery or bakery that would receive the coveted “People’s Choice” Award.

Here are the winning selections:

   • Best Presentation: 1^st Place: Paila & Leña Restaurant; 2^nd Place: La Hacienda Restaurant; and 3^rd Place: C-Town Food & Restaurant. 

   • Best Taste: 1^st Place: Paila & Leña Restaurant; 2^nd Place: Riva’s BBQ; and 3^rd Place: C-Town Food & Restaurant.

   • Best Dessert: 1^st Place: Made by Raquel; 2^nd Place: Sipos’ Bakery; and 3^rd Place: Tropical Cheese.

    • People’s Choice Award: 1^st Place: Paila & Leña Restaurant.

The Business Improvement District thanked all the dining and food businesses that participated. Here is the list of participating locations: Alameda Center, C-Town Food & Restaurant, Made by Raquel, Cornucopia Cruise Lines, Domino’s Pizza, El Gran Valle, La Hacienda Restaurant, Latin Grill Peruvian Restaurant, Mis Angelito’s Bakery & Grill, Mi Tierra Restaurant, Riva’s BBQ, Sipos Bakery, Tropical Cheese, Vita Centro Healthy Beverages, Pikalonga, and Troy Restaurant.