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8th Annual A Taste of Santa Cruz

Wednesday, 17 October 2012 13:54 GT_Staff Dining - Dining Reviews
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dining tastesclogoSCocoanut Grove Ballroom and Bayview Room
Thursday, October 25, 5:30 – 9:00

We welcome you to our eighth annual “A Taste of Santa Cruz” fundraising event!

The Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS® Housing Foundation (SCAORHF) is thrilled to invite you to this fun and tasty event on Oct. 25, 2012 at the Cocoanut Grove. This year we are welcoming back many of the restaurants that have consistently offered flavorful samplings from their menus during the past few years, and we excitedly await the cuisine being planned this year from our new entries.

“A Taste of Santa Cruz” is one of the few community fundraising events that truly offers an affordable ticket. Our ticket price is $40, and allows you to continuously sample edible delights from more than 30 restaurants and taste wines from local wineries from 5:30-9 p.m.! You can take a break from your culinary adventure to shop from over 100 items on our silent auction tables and know that all your gift buying is a tax deductible opportunity. New this year we are featuring two excellent local live bands, The Angelic Misfits and West Coast Soul.

This event is made possible by the generous support of its sponsors. We thank our Platinum Sponsor, US Bank, Caroline Ke Liu, Mortgage Loan Officer, our gold sponsors KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY, SERENO GROUP and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, and our in-kind sponsor, Kelley Trousdale, Century 21 Lad Realty for assisting us in producing this eighth annual event. A special thank you to our media sponsors Coastal Homes for providing our printing needs, and the Good Times and the Santa Cruz Sentinel for helping us get the word out.  It is with their help that we can bring our story about the SCAOR Housing Foundation and “A Taste of Santa Cruz” to the public.

dining tasteSCWe are extremely fortunate to have our booth sponsors step up in this challenging real estate market and want to thank each and every one of them for contributing financially to the event, providing silent auction items, and for partnering with some of the best restaurants in town. “A Taste of Santa Cruz” happens as a result of the Santa Cruz County real estate community coming together to create a fundraiser that “Bridges the Gap to Homeownership.” The SCAORHF provides grants to help cover closing costs or HOA dues payments of low-income, first-time homebuyers.  We are fortunate to have a wonderful group of volunteers who work very hard behind the scenes to make this event happen every year. Thank you to the Housing Foundation Board of Trustees and to the “A Taste of Santa Cruz” committee for donating hundreds of hours of assistance to both this event and to the Housing Foundation.

“A Taste of Santa Cruz” is an incredibly fun and festive event. We invite you to come back again or come for the first time and bring others with you. We know it will be a sellout, so please don’t wait to purchase your tickets (www.atosc.com). Come eat, drink, mingle, network and, most of all, support a great cause and a nonprofit that is working to help local families and individuals become first time homebuyers. By creating homeowners, we create neighborhoods that flourish.

We look forward to sharing a memorable night with you.
Genie Lawless, SCAOR Housing Foundation Chair
*Photo courtesy of Sarah Blade

The Event:
The Eighth Annual “A Taste of Santa Cruz” event will be held on Oct. 25 at the Cocoanut Grove. “A Taste of Santa Cruz” is a fundraiser for the Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS® Housing Foundation with all proceeds going to fund the Closing Cost Assistance Grant Program administered by the Housing Foundation to benefit low-income, first-time homebuyers in Santa Cruz County.  

Date, Time, Location
Thursday, Oct. 25  from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Cocoanut Grove Grand Ballroom and Bayview Room in Santa Cruz.

Fee and Registration
Tickets to the event are $40 in advance and $50 at the door and can be purchased online at  www.atosc.com or at the SCCAR offices at 2525 Main Street in Soquel. For more information please call 831-464-2000.

Food, Wine & Fun
Thirty booth sponsors are pairing up with the best restaurants, wineries and breweries in Santa Cruz County to offer samplings of delectable food, exquisite wines and tasty brews. Consider doing your holiday shopping at our silent auction by purchasing one-of-a-kind items. Listen or dance to the awesome tunes of West Coast Soul (R&B/Soul) and The Angelic Misfits.

 About Us
“A Taste of Santa Cruz” raises more than $30,000 each year with proceeds going to fund the Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS® Housing Foundation’s Closing Cost Assistance Grant Program. This program provides grants up to $1,500 for first-time, low-income home buyers in Santa Cruz County.

This event was first implemented in the fall of 2005 as a major fundraising event for the newly created SCAOR Housing Foundation. In the seven years since this event has been held, $300,000 has collectively been raised with 100 percent of the proceeds going toward the Closing Cost Assistance Grant Program. The program provides grants to low-income, first-time home buyers in Santa Cruz County to cover closing costs. More than 150 families have been given the keys to their first homes due to the overwhelming financial success of “A Taste of Santa Cruz.” For more information about this program and the Housing Foundation please visit www.scaorhf.org.

More than 800 people attend this culinary adventure, so purchasing your ticket in advance is highly recommended. Tickets can be purchased online at www.atosc.com or at the Santa Cruz County Association of REALTORS®, located at 2525 Main St., Soquel, CA 95073. On our website you can find more information about the event, view a list of this year’s participating restaurants, wineries and breweries, and see videos from previous events.

How You Can Contribute To The Housing Foundation

Even in the middle of an economic downturn, people need homes. With the changes in the market these past few years in Santa Cruz County, more potential homebuyers have decided to consider homeownership for themselves and their families. We believe the dream of homeownership should be attainable to the people who are the backbone of our community; our teachers, hospital workers, police force, salespeople, small business owners, and more. The Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS® Housing Foundation provides low-income, first-time home buyers grants to help cover their closing costs with the ‘Closing Cost Assistance Grant Program,’ and HOA dues payments with the ‘HOA Dues Assistance Grant.’ We, as members of the real estate community, believe in the concept of homeownership as a cornerstone for strong neighborhoods, pride of ownership, and wealth creation.

We are proud to state that no one who has qualified for a Closing Cost Assistance Grant has ever been turned away in the eight years since the program originated. The Foundation strives to make sure we keep this program available for anyone who wishes to purchase a home in Santa Cruz County.

You are invited to help us help others by contributing to the SCAOR Housing Foundation. Please visit our website at www.scaorhf.org for more information, or you can send donation checks directly to 2525 Main Street, Soquel, CA 95073 or call us with a credit card at 831-464-2000.

You can also support the grant program by attending the “A Taste of Santa Cruz” event and “shopping” at our silent auction. Come do your holiday shopping early, support a good cause, enjoy the offerings of dozens of local businesses and artisans and have a great time. See you there.

Fun Raffle & Music
Raffle Drawing & Santa Cruz Derby Girls
Enter to win a new iPad by purchasing raffle tickets from our own Santa Cruz Derby Girls. Cruising in full Derby Girl regalia, you can’t miss them!

Live Music
This year’s event features two awesome local bands. The Angelic Misfits will be opening the event and West Coast Soul, playing the best R&B/Soul tunes, will be featured on the main stage.

Fun Silent Auction
Shop for friends and family for the holidays or pick up a few items for yourself at our silent auction. This auction features more than 100 unique items from local businesses and artisans including, artwork, crafts, gift certificates to many local favorite hot spots and much more. Also featured are the VIP auction items which include:

Fiesta in Puerto Vallarta
Spend a week in Casa Vista Vieja, in an ocean view master bedroom suite in the beautiful Mexican Riviera town of Puerto Vallarta. This couple’s retreat is amidst the fun and festive flair of Old Town. Subject to availability. Donated by Alma Donato, American Dream Realty

“A Taste of Santa Cruz” Restaurant Package
Enjoy the delectable variety that is Santa Cruz cuisine. This package includes gift certificates to many of the participating restaurants at the event. If a bite whetted your appetite for more, explore many excellent restaurants in the County with these certificates.

Tahoe Weekend Getaway for Eight
Bring your friends and stay in a gorgeous three-bedroom, three-bath artisan home perched atop Tahoe Donner’s Downhill Ski Area for three nights. Come for the summer and enjoy hiking, biking and more, or for the winter for snowboarding and skiing. Holidays are excluded. Donated by Woutje Swets, Vanguard REALTORS®.

Come out and play in New Orleans
Enjoy one week in a lovely New Orleans flat located six blocks from the historic French Quarter on Royal Street. Subject to availability (approximately 30 weeks per year, excludes final Mardi Gras week.) Donated by Terry Cavanagh, Pacific Sun Properties

New England Beach Getaway for Eight
Enjoy a week of sweeping ocean views and fall foliage in this quaint Kennebunk Beach home in Maine. A short drive or bike ride will get you to Kennebunkport shopping and attractions and the beach. Fine dining and family restaurants, art galleries golfing, biking, swimming, fishing and tennis. Subject to availability. Donated by Dave Deteso, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Raffle Drawing & Santa Cruz Derby Girls
Enter to win a new iPad by purchasing raffle tickets from our own Santa Cruz Derby Girls. Cruising in full Derby Girl regalia, you can’t miss them!

Space to Taste Exhibitor and Sponsor Directory

1 Goose’s Goodies
Santa Cruz Home Finance

2 MJA Vineyards
Sereno Group

2 Süda
Sereno Group

dining tatstlogo3 Hollins House
David Lyng Real Estate

3 Santa Cruz Ale Works
David Lyng Real Estate

4 Woodstock’s Pizza
Fidelity National Home Warranty

5 Fresh Prep Kitchens
McNair Real Properties & Sunset REALTORS®

6 Zameen Mediterranean Cuisine
American Dream Realty

7 Beauregard Vineyards
Monterey Bay Properties

7 Coastal Culinary Personal Chef Service
Monterey Bay Properties

8 Le Cigare Volant
Thunderbird Real Estate

9 Aldo’s Harbor Restaurant
CHASE

10 Carmona’s BBQ Deli/Catering
Blue Adobe Mortgage

12 Paradise Beach Grille
US Bank

13 Bruno’s BBQ
Keller Williams Realty

13 Bruzzone Family Vineyards
Keller Williams Realty

14 burger.
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

15 Pono Hawaiian Grill
Opes Advisors

15 Uncommon Brewers
Opes Advisors

16 Casablanca Inn & Bistro
On Q Financial

17 Solaire
The Hotel Paradox

18 Seascape Foods
Bank of the West

19 Cowboy Diner
WIN Home Inspection

20 Monterey Bay Caterers
Pajaro Valley Association of REALTORS®

21 The True Olive Connection
Bay Area Floors

22 Edo Sushi Bar & Grill
Santa Cruz Properties

23 Dessert First
Frank O. May & Associates

23 Jenna Sue’s Café
Frank O. May & Associates

24 El Palomar
Prospect Management

25 KISS Catering
Alain Pinel REALTORS®

26 Aquarius
Seabright Mortgage Group

26 Trout Gulch Vineyards
Seabright Mortgage Group

27 Pat Paulsen Vineyards
Bailey Properties, Inc.

27 Michael's On Main
Bailey Properties, Inc.

28 Seabright Brewery
RPM Mortgage

29 Chaminade
Real Estate Eight Three One

30 Pleasure Pizza
Friday Realty

31 Johnny’s Harborside
Xchange Solutions

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