Hog Wild Serves Up BBQ at Taste of Montclair

A local eatery was among the more than 30 restaurants and food vendors at the Rotary Club of Montclair's annual Taste of Montclair fundraiser Monday night.

Hog Wild BBQ of Caldwell served up tender pulled pork from a whole pig, smoked especially for the event held in University Hall on the campus of Montclair State University. The only decision diners had to make was whether they wanted sweet or tangy barbecue sauce to go with it.

Hundreds visited stations set up around the room to try the bite-size portions.

Roberta Claps, of Glen Ridge, passed by French, Italian, Greek, Japanese and Ethiopian dishes for seconds of Verona restaurant's Salugo's risotto arancini, miniature rice balls with mozzarella and pancetta.

While Claps said she didn’t attend the tasting event last year, she would surely be back in 2014. 

“We enjoy good food and we wanted to support the Rotary and the town,” said Claps. 

The event is the Rotary Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Co-chair Diane Lilli said 100 percent of the proceeds from the event go to local, not-for-profit food pantries and charities, including the Montclair Human Needs Food Pantry, Toni’s Kitchen, the Salvation Army Montclair Citadel and others.

Last year, the event raised more than $25,000. With nearly 500 tickets sold on Monday, Lilli said the Rotary Club was well on its way to surpassing the previous year’s total. 

“The whole point is for serving the community,” said Lilli. “People in the surrounding towns support it. We love diversity — you can see it in the food — and it is something to be proud of and embrace.”

Taste of Montclair kicked-off Montclair Restaurant Week, running through April 21.