Tickets are on sale for the 26th annual Taste of Third being held on March 31 from 4-8 p.m. in the Village. The Taste of Third Passport tickets are priced at $40 and increase to $45 on March 1. This year’s event not only includes international treats from participating businesses, but also includes three live music performance areas at the corners of Third Avenue and F Street, Third Avenue and Park Way, and Third Avenue and Davidson Street.
“It’s an honor to celebrate 26 years of this community-loved event,” said Dominic Li Mandri, District Manager of the Third Avenue Village Association. “It’s a great way to bring the community together and highlight the wide variety of businesses along Third Avenue. You can take your tastes and eat them as you walk from one participating business to the next or you can bring a blanket and have a mini picnic at Memorial Park. However, you choose to enjoy your tastes, we encourage everyone to come out and enjoy a beautiful evening in our neighborhood.”
Li Mandri said as with all its events it is planning this year, TAVA wants this event to be family friendly.
“Third Avenue is in a unique position as we have single-family residence essentially one block away from our business corridor,” he said. “So, we want to create programs and experiences on Third Avenue that both attracts those families, but also families that live in Chula Vista that might have not so far recognized Third Avenue as a family friendly environment in the past.”
Li Mandri said it wants to do a series of events starting with Taste of Third to reintroduce Third Avenue to the Chula Vista community, reintroducing it in a different light. He said that it is looking to take Third Avenue events more vibrant, more diversified, and more of a family experience for Chula Vistans to enjoy.
“That light is a more family friendly and more diversified experience that they might not have experienced in the past,” he said.
Li Mandri said it is opening its participating business list to include 28 businesses and expand the cap of businesses so that there is a little bit of everything for everyone.
“Some of the businesses that we are featuring are our long-standing institutions on Third Avenue, but we are also introducing some newer operators on the block. These new businesses that not only cater to nightlife, but to the restaurant experience. These new businesses bring in that family-friendly environment that we want to engender on the block, and we see customers from all walks of life and ages attending the event, walking the event,” he said. “The Taste of Third is a family experience that everyone can enjoy.”
So far, the following businesses are participating at Taste of Third, with more being added regularly.
The Balboa South
Bar Sin Nombre
Brew Bar
Chula Vista Brewery
Culichitown
Dulcet
El Primero Boutique Hotel
Farmer’s Table
Groundswell Brewing Co.
Italianissimo Trattoria
Kentucky Fried Chicken
La Bella’s Pizza Garden
Mariscos Los Cuates
Mmm…Cakes!
My Cup of Tea Unique Gifts
Shake & Muddle
Silver Dollar Cocktail Lounge
Standlee’s, Inc.
The Vogue Tavern
Thr3e Punk Ales
For more information and tickets, visit www.thirdavenuevillage.com/taste-of-third.
