By Mariel Lacson, Advancement & Events Assistant
Lincoln Place Apartment Homes was sent into a tizzy on the afternoon of Sunday, August 30th. With five VIP units to furnish, 20 volunteers to manage, over 30 booths in Elk Grove Circle to set up, and the event starting in three hours, I, along with my P.S. ARTS colleagues ran up and down Elk Grove Avenue in a frenzy. It was hot, we were sweaty, and before we knew it, it was 3pm and VIP check-in had just begun.
The 4th Annual Taste of Venice was held in a new venue thanks to our fabulous Presenting Sponsor Lincoln Place Apartment Homes. Instead of the traditional setup from years past, we decided to keep the event simple with one Main Event where our guests could relax and enjoy food and drinks from local Venice restaurants and businesses that so graciously donated their time and treats. For those looking for a more intimate tasting experience, we offered a VIP Tasting Tour featuring chefs, mixologists, and chocolatiers doing what they do best in Lincoln Place’s luxury kitchens!
It was so exciting to see each booth and VIP apartment unit filled with food, drinks, and smiling faces — especially on such a warm afternoon. Taste of Venice was the first event at P.S. ARTS that I helped plan every step of the way, and as each participant arrived, it was nice to finally put a face to all of the people I’ve been e-mailing for the past three months!
Some of my personal highlights included:
1. Listening to the Ugly Sweaters rock out in all their surfer pop punk glory.
2. Hearing everyone’s intricate strategy of how they consumed all of the food — usually they started at one end of the circle and ate their way around counterclockwise!
3. Taking goofy #Spoontember selfies with my friends in The Bosco Photobooth presented by Cheeky.
4. Eating. Everything. Luckily, I’ll work off all the carbs training for the LA Marathon with Team P.S. ARTS!
5. Watching this beautiful sunset as another successful P.S. ARTS event came to an end!
While my team and I ended up with strange tan lines, a few sunburns, and sore feet, it was all worth it to see the smiling faces of our guests satisfied with the delicious tastes and treats from our 28 generous Main Event booths and our 10 incredible and entertaining VIP Tasting Tour participants. As a newbie to Venice, I loved getting to know its rich and diverse cuisine, and it was so rewarding to highlight Venice’s creative culinary community while raising vital funds for P.S. ARTS’ arts education programs!
