Every year, a local nonprofit that helps supplement Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department programs holds a fundraiser that gets everyone’s taste buds talking. People for Leisure and Youth Inc. (known as P.L.A.Y.) serves up Tastes of Mexico as a special annual celebratioan of Mexican cuisine and culture, with several local restaurants serving up their food hot and fresh at the Veterans Memorial Building in Santa Maria.
“What an amazing event Tastes of Mexico is. It’s probably my favorite event of the year,” said recreation supervisor for the city and P.L.A.Y. Inc., Dennis Smitherman. “You get to go into one place and eat good food from a bunch of different places. It is a smorgasbord of delicious Mexican foods, all in Santa Maria.”
The event became an annual tradition after P.L.A.Y. Inc. was established in 1997, and it’s an important event for the nonprofit, Smitherman explained.
“This is a benefit for the People for Leisure and Youth,” he said. “So all the money raised goes back to our program for funding recreational activities for youth and adults who may not be able to afford things like swim lessons, sports, and other activities like arts programs and community events like Concerts in the Park or Movies in the Park.”
Some of the approved restaurants as of press time were Mariscos Ensenada, Maya Restaurant, Real Tamazula, Pasion, VTC-Custom Catering, Mana Bakery, 2 Guys Bar Catering, La Villa Restaurant and Bakery, Nacho’s Mexican Restaurant, Rancho Nipomo, Taco Express, Linda Michoacana, and Panderia y Pasteleria. The business names alone reveal that there will be a wide range of savory and sweet cuisine, including Mexican sweet breads and ice cream.
“If you walk away hungry, you did something wrong,” Smitherman said. “It is really just some wonderful local restaurants supporting P.L.A.Y. Inc. and giving back to the community in the form of delicious Mexican food.”
The celebration isn’t limited to food. Imported Mexican beer will be available for tasting, as will as other drinks. And a big draw for the Tastes of Mexico event is the live entertainment, which will include Mariachi Autlence, the Antonio Valdovinos Trio, and the Righetti High School Ballet Folklorico and Marimba Band. There will also be kids’ activities, including a burro petting zoo.
“With all the great smells and e ntertainment, it really is a great community event,” Smitherman said. “If you are looking for an excuse to try a bunch of different foods from several local restaurants, you can’t go wrong.”
For the food
The city of Santa Maria presents “Tastes of Mexico,” a fundraiser for P.L.A.Y., Inc. on Sept. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Veterans’ Memorial Community Center, 313 W. Tunnell St., Santa Maria. Cost is $30, or $25 each for purchases of four or more tickets. More info: 925-0951, Ext. 260, or cityofsantamaria.org.
Arts Editor Joe Payne has a voracious passion for lengua. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 4-11, 2014.
