Taste of Danbury 2009 brings thousands downtown

The 23rd Annual "A Taste of Greater Danbury," was held September 12-13 in downtown

Amigo's Deli & Groceries and Minas Carne Restaurant served Hispanic and Brazilian food

Danbury on the Green. Sponsored by CityCenter Danbury, the event was packed with live entertainment, a craft fair and children's activities, and of course, delicious food.

Restaurants with booths at the event included the American Pie Company, Amigo's Deli & Groceries, The Cookhouse, Desert Moon Grill, Dippin' Dots, Minas Carne, Nick's Restaurant, Pho Mekong Restaurant, Sprinkles Ice Cream, Two Steps Downtown Grille and The Westerners & Delevinia's Deli."We got here at 6:30 in the morning to set-up and we have been nonstop ever since," said Richard Reyes of Amigo's Deli & Groceries and Minas Carne. "We have a few people standing outside the booths explaining to people what they can order and the kind of food we serve."

Tony Gallucci Jr., son of Tony Gallucci, owner of Nick's Catering, was working their booth over the weekend, and he remarked that the number of attendees "has been a lot better than we had expected, considering the economy." "Our popular items are baked ziti, fried dough, our desserts - basically everything we have," Gallucci said with a smile.

Students of Soortaal School performed with teacher Anindita Nanda

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton was also in attendance, handing out free popcorn. "A Taste of Danbury is a great event and a real tradition in Danbury. It is a reflection of the terrific community we are and it makes me proud to be a Danburian," Boughton said.Two Steps Downtown Grille also had a booth, featuring entrees such as Jamaican jerk chicken, fried clam strips and chicken teriyaki sticks.

Kelly O'Marra, head chef for the weekend, along with his sister Eileen, took ordering from customers stopping at the booth. The siblings have been participating in A Taste of Danbury for 20 years, supporting their brother Keith, Two Step's owner.

"It's a lot of fun with the music always playing and watching the many fun demonstrations. I look forward to volunteering every year," Eileen said.

Thousands of people visited the Taste of Danbury

The Tribuna Newspaper also had live entertainment in front of their booth on Saturday, featuring classical Indian dance by the Soortal dance school students. "The Tribuna is proud to reflect the diversity in the community it serves. That is why we found a perfect fit in partnering with Guru Anindita Nanda to celebrate India culture and promote our Indian social column in print. At the same time, it's a great opportunity for her talented students to display their wonderful efforts to keep their traditions alive at such a young age," said Emanuela Lima, Tribuna's editor. "We hope to bring more of these cultural acts next year to the Taste of Greater Danbury so that it can reflect more and more of all the vibrant and rich cultures we have within our community," Lima added.

For more information on upcoming Danbury events, please visit www.citycenterdanbury. com.

Two Steps Downtown Grille featured entrees such as Jamaican jerk chicken, fried clam strips and chicken teriyaki sticks