Bay Ridge

Taste of the Ridge offers culinary delights

April 27, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
George LoParnos (left) owner of Mike’s Deli, and his crew brought trays of lasagna, mac & cheese, Norwegian meatballs and other delicious treats to the fundraiser. Pictured with LoParnos are Kristalina Nunez, Chef Alex Alvarado and Adam LoParnos (left to right). Eagle photo by Paula Katinas
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Eireann Fogarty was munching on hot wings from The Kettle Black on Sunday afternoon, but she wasn’t actually in The Kettle Black while she was enjoying the food. She was standing, plate in hand, in the auditorium of Saint Patrick Catholic Academy in Bay Ridge. “It’s delicious!” she told the Brooklyn Eagle between bites.

The Kettle Black, one of the most popular bar-restaurants in Bay Ridge was one of dozens of restaurants that donated trays of mouth-watering food to Taste of the Ridge, a fundraiser for the academy.

This was the 19th Annual Taste of the Ridge event. The concept of the fundraiser is to raise money for the Catholic school while allowing Bay Ridge’s best restaurants to show off their best dishes to potential customers, according to organizers. The school is located at 401 97th St.

For a $15 donation to St. Patrick Catholic Academy, a participant enters the school auditorium and can visit any serving stations he or she wishes to sample a small plate, a taste really, of the menu items from their favorite restaurants.

While Fogarty was eating hot wings, Keith Doherty stood next to her, finishing up a garlic knot. “Great,” he said with a smile.

The set-up allowed participants to freely roam the vast auditorium, stop at a table and get a tasty morsel of food before moving on to the next serving station. Chairs were set up in both sides of the room to allow people to sit while they ate.

More than 50 restaurants had set up serving stations in the auditorium. Mike’s Deli was serving lasagna, mac & cheese, Norwegian meatballs and stuffed turkey rolls for entrees. For dessert, Mike’s staff members offered rice pudding, tapioca pudding, rice custard and bread pudding. Hunter’s Steak and Ale House served sausage and peppers among other dishes. Peppinos offered several different kinds of pasta.

Michael and Andrea Smargiassi, who brought 5-year-old Evelyn Smargiassi to the Taste event, said they enjoyed mac & cheese from the Wicked Monk, as well as Brussels sprouts from Tanoreen. “The food is outstanding,” Andrea told the Eagle.

The fundraiser’s organizers were beaming at the size of the crowd. “This is our biggest crowd in many years,” Event Chairwoman Maureen McEvoy said as she stood surveying the hungry diners who were eagerly lining up at the service stations for restaurant workers and Taste of the Ridge volunteers to ladle out samples.

McEvoy, a member of the St. Patrick’s Home Academy Association, a Catholic school version of a P.T.A., credited social media with drawing such a big crowd to the event.

“We really made use of social media this year,” she said, adding that Facebook and Twitter were two of the social networking sites the association used to advertise the event.

Andrea D’Emic, the academy’s principal, said she couldn’t be happier with the turnout. “We’re so grateful for the support we get from the community,” she told the Eagle.

The academy has not announced the amount of money the event raised.

***CORRECTION***

An earlier version of the article spelled Eireann Fogarty’s first name incorrectly.

 

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