By Steven Andrews
Staff Writer

Steve Winer looks to add a scrumptious serving to his plate from the CC Tomatoes Booth at the Taste of Concord on Thursday, Oct. 12, at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord. (Courtesy Photo)

Any anxiety the Concord Boys & Girls Club had about its first Taste of Concord event on Thursday, Oct. 12, was quickly relieved by the turnout of about 300 people at the Capitol Center for the Arts.

Now, the biggest problem could be finding a location large enough to hold the event next year.

“Being the inaugural year, this event really exceeded my expectations,” said Christopher Emond, the club’s executive director. “It was just enough people for the space we had. We may have to find a bigger place next year, which is a good problem to have.”

All proceeds from the $25 ticket price benefited the Concord Boys & Girls Club.

Fourteen local restaurants offered a wide variety of food paired with beer and wine presented by three local distributors.

While the exact amount of money raised is still being calculated, Emond estimated the total to be about $7,500.

“A lot of people assume the money is set to go toward a specific item, but our fees are purposefully set low so anyone can join,” he said. “Even though it only costs people on average $40 to $50 a school year to join, it costs us a lot more. This will go to underwrite that.”

Guests were served everything from sushi to prime rib to crab cakes, sweet toasted almonds and more.

All of the food and beverages were donated. Music was provided by the Brooks Young Band.

The following restaurants participated: Alan’s of Boscawen, Arnie’s Place, The Barley House, Butter’s Fine Food & Wine, The Capitol Grille, CC Tomatoes, Cheers Grille & Bar, The Common Man, The Draft, Hermanos Cocina Mexicana, Makris Lobster & Steak House, Moritomo’s and The Red Blazer, plus beverage companies New Hampshire Distributors, Horizon Beverages and Southern Wine & Spirits of New Hampshire.

“It’s really a great event because the donors get something back for their help, and the restaurants and vendors will certainly get more business now,” Emond said.

In addition to donors and vendors, Edmon said the planning committee and especially Chris Brown, president of New Hampshire Distributors Inc., did a great job.

“Chris made it very easy for the staff here in everything from printing to graphics,” he said. “His contacts with the restaurants made everything much easier. We had all 14 restaurants signed up in the first week.”

Despite just recovering from the event, Emond is already excited about the possilibities for next year.

“There weren’t any long lines and the flow of traffic went incredibly well,” he said. “But we’ll have to think about the venue and what it would look like with 20 restaurants.”

For more information about the Concord Boys & Girls Club, contact Emond or Emily O’Rourke at 224-1061.