New Taste of the U.W.S. Kickoff

[caption id="attachment_72293" align="alignright" width="98"] Chef Maria Loi of Loi Restaurant created Greek salad rolls for the event, complete with olive oil and yogurt sauce on top.[/caption]

Editor's note: This story has been revised to reflect corrections. 

The 7th annual food fest celebrates local cuisine and benefits the neighborhood

Upper West Side Last Thursday, New Taste of the Upper West Side kicked off its annual food festival with Soiree in the Park, an event to raise money for Theodore Roosevelt Park. The event was underwritten by the Rudin Foundation, as well as the Theodore Roosevelt Park Neighborhood Association, Thrillist and the Goldie Anna Charitable Trust, allowing the entire $150 ticket price to go toward special programming for the park that surrounds the American Museum of Natural History on Columbus Avenue between West 77th and West 81st Streets. The event, postponed from its original Tuesday date due to rain, was held outside the museum, to the strains of a classical quartet and the sounds of happy munching on hors d'oeuvres from six Upper West Side restaurants. Wine and prosecco cocktails were served to accompany the savory bites as guests ate and mingled.

This was the second year for the Soiree in the Park, which preceded the festival's Comfort Food Classics event on Friday, and Best of the West on Saturday. New Taste of the Upper West Side is presented by the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District, to generate interest in restaurants in the Columbus Avenue area and raise money for local initiatives to benefit the community.