Chamber of Commerce Ramps Up for Taste of Encino ‎

The 23rd annual Taste of Encino, the town's premium food and wine festival, takes place Saturday at a new location, St. Cyril of Jerusalem School. 

Presented by the Encino Chamber of Commerce, Taste of Encino will feature a variety of foods, folk and bluegrass music, and artisans displaying their handcrafted wares. For people with young children there will be a kids area complete with a moon bounce, a rock-climbing wall and a pumpkin patch. There will also be home-improvement and disaster-preparedness exhibitions as well as the popular beer and wine pavilion.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

From simple beginnings with just a few restaurants and a couple hundred visitors in 1986, Taste of Encino has evolved into one of the Valley's most anticipated events of the year, with thousands in attendance.

Over the years it has been held in the parking lots of local shopping centers—Plaza de Oro and Encino Town Center—at the Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center and out on Ventura Boulevard.

The Chamber decided to move Taste of Encino this year to private property at St. Cyril of Jerusalem School, at the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Haskell Avenue.

Proceeds from Taste of Encino will be used to fund local school and community projects, including the annual Teacher of the Year luncheon and the Disaster Preparedness Community Outreach.

Admission is $5 for adults, free for children under 12. Free parking is available within walking distance of the festival. Tickets can be purchased at the event or from the Encino Chamber of Commerce.

Volunteers are needed to pour wine and beer and sell tickets. They will receive an official Taste of Encino T-shirt and free admission. Call the Encino Chamber to set up a time slot at 818-789-4711.