Main Street to cap anniversary celebration with Taste of Lawrenceville event Oct. 15.
By: John Dunphy
The Village of Lawrenceville has changed a lot in the last 10 years.
Where once stood boarded-up buildings and signs of untapped potential, now stands restaurants, ice cream parlors and thriving businesses in an active community.
To celebrate the success of Lawrenceville Main Street, the organization formed in 1995 to help revitalize the community, the group will host its first Taste of Lawrenceville at 5 p.m. Oct. 15 in the Abbot Dining Hall at The Lawrenceville School.
The three-hour event, featuring restaurants and local farmers from in and around the Village, caps off a year of celebrations in honor of Lawrenceville Main Street’s 10-plus years in the community.
"The focus is on the food of Main Street," said Ann Garwig, executive director for Lawrenceville Main Street. "Local restaurants, local produce. It’s a very locally focused event."
Mario Mangone, owner of Chambers Walk Café & Catering on Main Street, said the force behind the Taste of Lawrenceville is "to promote the restaurants and farms located here in our community."
Previously of Trenton and Princeton, Chambers Walk settled in Lawrence in 2001. A member of the Lawrenceville Culinary Partnership (LCP), a new nonprofit organization made up of area restaurants, chefs, farms and other local food aficionados, Mr. Mangone said the businesses involved in the Taste also are participating in a cooperative effort to bring patrons "farm to fork food."
"So, the Taste is to celebrate not only 10 years of Main Street, but also to promote that the Village has become a food destination spot," he said.
With businesses like Chambers Walk relocating to the Village, the Lawrenceville Main Street organization has proven to be a success.
"We have no vacancies," said Buz Donnelly, president of Lawrenceville Main Street.
But, the landscape wasn’t always so busy. Fedora Café’s location on Main Street was a boarded-up old shell. Where Chambers Walk now sits, an old run-down hardware store held court.
Mr. Donnelly said the reason for the eventual decline in commerce in the Village by the mid-1990s could be attributed to the influx of big-box stores and all-in-one destinations like the Quaker Bridge Mall, which opened in the 1970s.
"It’s happening all over the country," said Madeline Monheit, a member of Lawrenceville Main Street for four years. "You drive by a mall and you don’t know if you’re in Lawrence or anywhere else."
In addition to sponsorship of the event by The Lawrenceville School and Educational Testing Service, participants are donating their time and their food to Taste of Lawrenceville.
"I am a part of the community," said Susan Kleinschmidt, owner of Peggy Sue’s Ice Cream on Gordon Avenue, which has been in the Village for three years. "We have great tastes here at Peggy Sue’s, including our pumpkin ice cream and deep-dish apple ice cream. I just want to be a part of it."
The list does not stop at dessert. From Chambers Walk, among other items, are hot root vegetable soup, seasonal raviolis and fresh salad. The Lawrenceville School, also a member of the LCP, throws their hat into the culinary ring with scallops from Viking Village, a fishery on Long Beach Island. T.J.’s Pizzeria will present what they know best pizza. And The Lawrenceville Inn will serve soft polenta with autumn vegetables.
Doug Duda, a board member for the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey, will present fried duck at the Taste of Lawrenceville. The host of "The Well-Seasoned Traveler" on A&E International, the well-traveled foodie also has produced the "Taste of the World" culinary travel showcase for the New York Times travel program, among other endeavors.
"When my wife and I moved to this area from Miami in 2002, we thought we were moving to a college town," Mr. Duda said. "I had no idea I was moving to one of the liveliest local food scenes in the country. The Taste of Lawrenceville is a real showcase for local, small-scale sustainable agriculture and food artisanship, and for how restaurants can become champions of these producers and help them survive and thrive. It is a story that is always delicious to tell."
Almost, but not quite as delicious as the assortment of foods that will be on hand. Also represented will be the Chauncey Conference Center, Fedora Café, Vidalia and the Village Bakery. Fresh ingredients for these businesses will come from Cherry Grove Farm, Cherry Grove Organic Farm, Griggstown Quail Farm, Terhune Orchards, Valley Shepherd Creamery and Village Farms.
Businesses have donated their time, service and, most importantly food for the Taste, with all proceeds going toward Lawrenceville Main Street.
"We feel it is a reciprocating situation," Mr. Mangone said. "Main Street has done a lot to promote the area. We certainly want to be a part. Obviously we want to promote our product to the community; it’s a matter of doing business."
Tickets for the event are $50, which will not only earn patrons an endless supply of samples from participants, but also live music, local wine and beer, and a silent auction of various items donated for the event, including a gift certificate to Acacia, on Main Street, which is unable to attend the Taste.
If the inaugural Taste of Lawrenceville proves a success, the possibility exists for more in the future, Mr. Donnelly said.
"We see this as a nice time out for the family and friends," said Mrs. Garwig.
For more information, or to purchase tickets to the Taste of Lawrenceville, call (609) 219-9300 or visit www.lawrencevillemainstreet.com.

