Chef’s Nite Out at Stella.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – Nearly 400 people are preparing to be dazzled with culinary delights Sunday, May 19 as they participate in the city’s 11th annual Chefs Night Out event put on by the Ventnor Beautification Committee. The event sold-out two weeks ago, so if you didn’t get your tickets, you’ll have to wait until next year.
This year’s dine-around features 23 restaurants, pizza parlors and ice cream stands.
“We’re putting the finishing touches on the event,” organizer and Beautification Committee Chairwoman Shelley D’Orazio said. “We started out with eight stops during the first one and it has just grown into a big citywide event.”
Over the years, tickets have gotten harder to get.
“Someone called me a week-and-a-half ago to get tickets and I had to tell him it was already sold out,” D’Orazio said. “Then, he called me back and asked if he could get tickets for next year’s event.”
D’Orazio advises people to get tickets as soon as they go on sale each year on April 1.
Although this year, there are no new restaurants, the event features some of the city’s most sought-after eateries, some that have participated since the very first event.
“We get a lot of new people buying tickets every year, so for them, it’s new. Then, we have our regulars, who come every year,” she said.
After purchasing their tickets in advance, participants go to Ventnor City Hall to obtain a wristband, which signals to restaurants that they are paid participants. Last year, D’Orazio was shocked when she saw someone outside City Hall holding up a sign asking other ticket holders if they had extra tickets to sell.
Ventnor Mayor Lance Landgraf and his wife Kathy Styles-Landgraf enjoy good eats at Chef’s Night Out.
“Mayor Lance Landgraf remarked the event has taken on a life of its own. It was the ultimate compliment,” D’Orazio said.
They come not only for the tasty bites, but also for the entertainment and vendors, who perform and set up near each location. The event is staffed by dozens of volunteers who serve as hosts at each location, some wearing their black and whites or tuxedos.
D’Orazio said details will be finalized up until the final hours. She is now contacting the restauranteurs to find out what they will be serving and guide them to avoid duplication of offerings.
“If we have several pizza places, you can expect to get pizza, but each will try to be a bit different,” she said. “Whatever they serve, we want our ticket holders leaving with one word – wow,” she said.
The event has been held every year, except after Hurricane Sandy and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants enjoy going from place to place to sample small bites at each location. Because of the difficulty in finding parking spaces, they walk, come on bicycles, or come in groups in limousines or jitneys.
One of the greatest things about the event is that it raises money to beautify the city. In the past, proceeds have been used to purchase decorative banners, trash and recycling containers and the like.
In the fall, the organization plans to donate $75,000 in proceeds of past events to partially fund the new concert venue being built on the Newport Avenue beach.
“There are not too many local organizations that can do that,” she said. “All we need now is for Mother Nature to cooperate. We need a nice sunny, beautiful day so everyone can enjoy themselves.”
Participating eateries are:
- Aroma
- Florida Cold Cuts
- Isabella’s
- LaPadella
- Megu Sushi
- North Beach Cafe
- Nucky’s Kitchen & Speakeasy
- PJ Buckets
- Pulia
- Red Room
- Santucci’s Original Square Pizza
- Sapore Wood Fire Pizza
- Stella
- Velo
- Water Dog
- Zorro’s Pizza
- Community Liquors
- White Star Liquors
- Custard’s Last Stand
- North Beach Creamery
- Peace Pie
- Sasser’s Cheesecakes
- SunDaze Ice Cream
They come on bicycles, in limos and on jitneys.
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