University City community members will have something to lick their lips about during the month of November.
EdUCate!, a nonprofit foundation that raises funds to provide resource grants for teachers at the five University City public schools, will hold its 13th annual Taste of the Triangle, featuring specialty dishes from 20 area restaurants, on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the San Diego Marriott La Jolla, 4240 La Jolla Village Drive.
“We have a core group of restaurants that always come, and then every year there are at least three or four new ones that participate,” event co-chair Laurel Slater said.
This year, The Melting Pot, a fondue-inspired restaurant that recently opened on La Jolla Village Drive and the Cuban-style Miami Grille, located in the UTC shopping mall, will make their debuts at the event.
“It’s a really great way for new restaurants to get themselves known,” Slater said. “It’s a chance for people who live in the community to taste their stuff and say, ‘Hey, where are you located?'”
Last year’s event drew about 600 people, and volunteers expect the turnout at the upcoming fund-raiser to top that number, Slater said.
A silent auction, featuring 80 to 100 theme baskets packed to the brim with restaurant and spa gift certificates, theater tickets and other donated items, will be held throughout the evening, and tickets for a $1,000 shopping spree will be raffled off.
All proceeds are turned over immediately to the foundation, so that its allocation committee can begin processing teacher requests for resource grants, Slater said.
“EdUCate! as a foundation is very unique in the sense that we raise money for a cluster of University City schools, and most foundations are just one school specific,” said Luann “Crunchy” Beacom, the foundation’s publicity manager.
Taste of the Triangle is one of the main fund-raising events this year, as the foundation embarks on a new campaign to gather additional money and attempts to collect donations from large corporations to implement new technology into every classroom in University City, Beacom said.
The evening will also feature musical entertainment by the Standley Middle School Jazz Band and the University City High School Orchestra, and a VIP reception with guest speaker Dr. Carl Cohn, San Diego Unified District superintendent, for those who donated more than $250 to the foundation.
Taste of the Triangle tickets are $40 before the event, $50 at the door. For more information about EdUate! or to purchase event tickets, visit www.uc-educate.org.