When Taste of Mt. Laurel started in 2010, it was a small event. It was held only for senior citizens and the venue was the Mt. Laurel Community Center.
Within six years, Taste of Mt. Laurel has upgraded venues, opened its doors to all township residents and now stands with the township’s Fall Festival as the two best attended township events of the year.
The sixth annual Taste of Mt. Laurel will be held on Thursday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Harrington Middle School.
The event is upgrading to a larger location for the second time in three years. In 2013, the event moved from the Mt. Laurel Community Center to Hartford School to make it easier to funnel residents in and out of the venue during the two-hour event. This year, the township decided to move from Hartford to Harrington for the same reason.
“The venue I know is better for residents to come in and out, and there’s more parking,” said Meghan Shaddow, recreation director for Mt. Laurel Township.
The move to Harrington School hasn’t impacted restaurants’ interest in attending the event. At press time, the township already had 22 restaurants scheduled to participate, more than the 15 restaurants the township had registered two weeks prior to last year’s event. The township accepts participating restaurants on a first-come, first-served basis until all of the spots are full. Typically, 20 to 25 restaurants are featured.
This is also the first time Taste of Mt. Laurel is being held in March. The last five years, the event was held in January. Township manager Maureen Mitchell said the township made the move in hopes the better weather would attract more residents.
Shaddow said the recreation department has received numerous calls about the new date from residents since the beginning of the year. She said many people were satisfied with the move to March.
“They are very happy to be having this event again this year,” Shaddow said.
So far, about 100 residents have pre-registered. The township typically gets a large influx of registrations in the days leading up to the event.
While Taste of Mt. Laurel is free and open to all township residents, township officials are asking attendees to pre-register so the restaurants know how much food to make. To register or for more information, call Shaddow at (856) 234–0001 ext. 1220 or email mshaddow@mountlaurel.com.
THIS YEAR’S PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS
- Marcello’s Ristorante
- Monsoon Fine Indian Cuisine
- Redz Restaurant
- Carlucci’s Waterfront
- b.good
- Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ
- Brio Tuscan Grille
- Omaha Steaks
- Roly Poly Sandwiches
- Panchero’s Mexican Grille
- SunFlour Bakeshop
- Buffalo Wild Wings
- Victoria’s Bagel
- Rita’s
- Roselli’s Italian Market
- Miller’s Ale House
- Flavors of India
- Smoothie King
- Brewster’s Pub
- Dunkin Donuts
- Pie Lady Café
