![](../images/for_pdf/1104-04601.jpg) | | Last year's Taste of Lafayette Photo A. Scheck | | | | | | Orinda isn't the only community celebrating its culinary delights. Lafayette's downtown area will be transformed into a large, strolling, community dinner party on May 16 when the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce once again hosts the Taste of Lafayette.
The popular culinary event offers a chance to meander through downtown Lafayette while sampling signature dishes from the city's popular Restaurant Row restaurants and local caterers.
"It's that one spring night where the sidewalks of Lafayette are filled with hundreds of smiling people, everyone enjoying conversation with friends and neighbors," says Lafayette Chamber's Executive Director Jay Lifson.
The evening kicks off at 5:30 p.m. in the Taste Pavilion on the corner of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Lafayette Circle, near Bank of the West when participants will check in, enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or beer, sample appetizers and enjoy live music.
At 6:30 p.m. ticket holders start their stroll at their own pace, stopping at any or all of the more than 25 participating restaurants. There is a two-hour limit allowing all to enjoy at their leisure although, if required, there are two free shuttle buses available.
Diners will meet back at the taste pavilion for dessert, coffee and to hear the winner of the evening's raffle to benefit the Lafayette Community Foundation.
The annual event, which has sold out in previous years, is now in its 15th year. It promotes Lafayette's downtown and raises money to support the Lafayette Chamber and the Lafayette Community Foundation, a longstanding local nonprofit that invests in programs and projects which promote and enhance the civic, cultural, educational and environmental health of Lafayette.
Tickets are $45 and are available from the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce's office located at 100 Lafayette Circle or through the website www.lafayettechamber.org until May 1. After that they will cost $50.
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