 | | | Getting a taste at last year's Restaurant Tour Photo Ohlen Alexander
| | | | | | Foodies from the 680 corridor to Piedmont are the focus of local business leaders engaged in planning Orinda's 5th Annual Restaurant Tour. Sponsored by the Orinda Chamber of Commerce, the event will be held at Theatre Square on September 18 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Educational Foundation of Orinda.
"We're trying to gain greater exposure for the event, and I think we've accomplished that," says Victor Ivry, the co-owner of Orinda's Barbacoa and Table 24. Ivry is chairing this year's planning committee, which also includes Sylvia Jorgensen of Merrill Lynch, Dina Zapanpa of First Republic Bank, and Sophina Gellon, the property manager for Theatre Square.
Six wineries will be part of the festivities this year, along with a live band and dance floor, dessert bar, 10-minute massages from Entourage Spa, and a cooking exhibition presented by local master chef, Charlie Vollmer. The talents of 30 local artists will also be showcased by Allison McCrady Fine Arts. Co-sponsor Douglas will provide free valet parking.
Rather than shuttling tour goers back and forth between Orinda Village and Theatre Square as has been done in the past, Village-based restaurants will set up along the strip between Barbacoa and Starbucks. Planners hope this will create a greater sense of unity.
More than 20 restaurants are expected to participate, but only 400 tickets will be sold - and are likely to go quickly at $40 per person (advance) and $45 (at the entrance on the day of the event). For more details, visit the Orinda Chamber of Commerce web site: www.orindachamber.org.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA