'Taste of Westwood' Tickets Available

The fifth annual Taste of Westwood is scheduled for June 9 at the Westwood Library.

The event features food and drinks donated by local restaurants and shops, including Banchetto Feast, Bat Barry's, Bibi'z, Broadway Pizza, Sogno, Conrad's, P.J. Finnegan's, Flynn's Deli, Grange, Hanami, Harmony Tea Room, It's Greek to Me, Jack's Cafe, Olive Branch & Grape Vine, Pompilio's Pizza, Sarabou Bakery, The Iron Horse, The Melting Pot, Rolling Pin Cafe, Twist, Westwood Prime Meats, Cricket Hill Brewery, Defiant Brewery and Best Cellars.

There will also be raffles, with prizes including a BMW motorcycle, iPad and $150 gift certificate to Banchetto Feast.

"It's a great time for the town to come together, and I think that's something everybody should experience," Martha Urbiel, the library's director, said.

Tickets cost $50 and are available here on the library's website.

The annual fundraiser "makes a big difference" for the library's budget, according to Urbiel. 

"It really is important to us," she said. "All of the programs we provide to the community are paid for with fundraised money.

Typically, money raised at the Taste of Westwood goes toward extras like programs, new materials and improvements to the library building itself, according to Urbiel. However, as the library faces its third year of budget cuts, more of the money raised may go toward basic library functions like building the collection, she said.

The event is organized by the Westwood Chamber of Commerce.

"We want to thank [Urbiel] and the library for being a cornerstone of the community and allowing restaurants and the Chamber to showcase in their space," Joseph Abou-Daoud, the Chamber's executive director, said.

Check out a video of last year's Taste of Westwood here.

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