Jill Cox of Jill’s Cake Creations in Santa Clarita has been a vendor at all 36 annual Taste of the Town events in the Santa Clarita Valley. Sunday’s event took place at Blomgren Ranch in Santa Clarita, and Cox said the cause to raise funds for the local Child & Family Center is near and dear to her heart.
She said the center helped her as a single mother with her son over 40 years ago — something she’ll never forget. Of course, she said, she’d do anything to help. She added that she’s also retiring after 47 years in business.
“I’m so excited, very emotional — extremely emotional,” Cox said. “It’s been my baby. But it’s in good hands.”
Brothers Tony and Frank Nigro will be taking over the business. They were there Sunday at Taste of the Town with Cox, offering a baked bar that included chocolate cake, butter croissants, salted chocolate chip cookies and mascarpone cake.
Jill’s Cake Creations was one of over 30 local vendors at Taste of the Town, including Apola Greek Grill, Artisan Uprising Winery, Bergies Bar and Grill, Brewery Draconum, Copperhill BBQ, Marston’s Restaurant, Salt Creek Grille, Santa Cruz Brewing Co. and Sand Canyon Country Club. The restaurants, bakeries, wineries and breweries, and the cause, attracted a sell-out crowd of 800 to 900 people, according to Child & Family Center President and CEO Nikki Buckstead.
Buckstead said she was thrilled with the food and beverage exhibitors, and with the return of Mark LeVang and Friends, what she called the event’s favorite band, and she expressed her gratitude to all the support for the Child & Family Center.
The Child & Family Center provides a range of mental health, behavioral and education services to Santa Clarita children and families in need. Buckstead said the Taste of the Town event is the center’s biggest fundraiser of the year.
“All the proceeds go to support Child & Family Center and the work that we do for our children’s mental health, substance use treatment and our domestic violence program,” she said in an interview during the event. “We serve over 1,000 individuals each month, and we have a staff of 150 dedicated and talented people who are helping change lives of families here in the Santa Clarita Valley.”
Several area dignitaries showed up at the event and shared their love for the good food and drinks offered, and the entertainment, but they also came for the cause.
Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Acton, said Taste of the Town is a gathering she always looks forward to attending.
“This is probably one of my favorite events of the year,” she said. “And I go to lots of events. It’s not only an amazing event that highlights the wonderful food and spirits of our community but also serves a phenomenal cause for the families of our community.”
She added that Sunday, while a little chilly and with overcast skies, was nicer than last year’s event, in which attendees were “glistening because it was so hot,” she said.
Rep. George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce, praised the event and the Child & Family Center for the work they do.
“The fact that so many people come out to support it is just a testament to how we all know that we’ve got to just keep supporting it,” he said. “It’s going to continue to do great stuff in our area.”
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, said the Child & Family Center is a critical community resource.
“We’ve been so happy to be able to support them,” she said. “And it’s always wonderful to see a sellout event supporting such a great cause.”
Santa Clarita City Councilman Jason Gibbs was also thrilled with the turnout.
“You have a whole different group of the community that comes out to support the work of Child & Family,” he said. “It’s a testament to not just the work they do, but the event that they put on here — it’s become a signature event in Santa Clarita, and rightfully so. There’s nothing like it. They sell out with 75 tables.”
And College of the Canyons board Vice President Fred Arnold said he felt Taste of the Town was a great opportunity to introduce giving people to the work that Child & Family Center does in the community.
“They serve over 1,000 clients a month,” he said. “And they do it with compassion and hard work to help these families and children get through challenging times.”
As Taste of the Town took place on May 4, some vendors got into the spirit of what many call Star Wars Day, and “May the 4th be with you,” as in “May the force be with you,” in reference to the “Star Wars” films.
Susie Bohamed, owner of Susie B’s Kitchen, was decked out for May the 4th with her Star Wars-themed table and personal apparel. She said that last year, when she learned Taste of the Town would land on May 4th, she took a trip to Disneyland to stock up on Star Wars items that she could use to decorate.
She also offered Jello shots in four different flavors, each color a “Star Wars” lightsaber hue.
Outback Steakhouse in Newhall also filled their table with Star Wars paraphernalia. Justin Brown, managing partner of Out West Restaurant Group Inc., said he’s a Star Wars fan, adding that many of their table’s Star Wars items were 3D printed. He was excited to recognize May the 4th but wanted to also get the word out that Outback Steakhouse in Newhall recently opened for lunch. Their table offered some of the food from that lunch menu.
Master of ceremonies Chris Schauble pointed out to the crowd other highlights of the event and suggested food and treats for people to try. He then expressed the importance of the event.
“There’s a quote by Dr. Maya Angelou that says, ‘Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.’ Find out how your support is the rainbow for children and families in our community who struggle with mental health and domestic violence issues, and stop by the Child & Family Center booth,” he said. “Stop by and understand how you can make a difference — a personal difference.”
For more information about the Child & Family Center, go to ChildFamilyCenter.org.
