Rahway held its third annual Taste of Spring on Friday, April 13 at the Rahway Recreation Center. With over 700 tickets sold, up from 650 last year, the “Taste Committee’s” hard work really seems to have paid off.
One of the most tempting displays came courtesy of That Bakery in Clark where patrons scooped up cupcakes, crumb cake and cookies. That Bakery makes all of their decadent treats in-house and may be best known for their Red Velvet Cupcake, an airy cupcake topped with a buttery cream cheese frosting. Their head baker, Joe Scalise, worked previously at the famous Magnolia Bakery, and brings his expertise and passion to all of the bakery’s treats.
Little Portugal BBQ and Restaurant returned for the second time to the Taste of Spring, having enjoyed their experience in 2011. The owners commented that the event is a great way to advertise and give people a taste of their food. One of their delicious tastes was Serradura or Macau Sawdust Pudding. Serradura is a layered chilled dessert made up of a sweetened, vanilla whipped cream and crushed tea biscuits. The word Serradura means sawdust in Portuguese.
While many businesses were veterans of the festival, four-month old Pronto Grill in Clark made its first appearance. The restaurant brought their secret weapon: a 35-year-old recipe for pressure cooked chicken which helps the chicken retain its juiciness. His recipe for success appears to be working as one woman remarked “This is incredible!” after trying Pronto Grill’s BBQ Pulled Chicken.
The Latin fusion restaurant Patria has been open for just over a year but has already found recognition from the NY Times and NJ Monthly. The restaurant and mixology lounge served up drinks to a long line of eager patrons at the festival. There was no better way to end a successful day at Taste of Spring than to have a drink, relax, and wonder how next year will somehow find a way to be even bigger and better.
Michelle Stavrou, the Union County regional editor, has hop-scotched across the Garden State, growing up in Bergen County, then moving to Hoboken (after a stop over in Queens) before finally settling in Cranford. After too many years stuck in tiny kitchens Michelle finally has a kitchen that can accommodate multiple batches of cookies. Her husband and her co-workers are probably even more thankful than she is. Michelle’s baking adventures are documented here: jerseygirleats.blogspot.com.
