By: Paola Mesadieu

On Thursday, June 25th, the rain gods took a break from dousing New England with unrelenting rain showers just in time for the 7th Annual Taste of Cambridge food festival. With cuisines from India to Ireland, the Taste of Cambridge “celebrates the diverse dining scene of one MA’s most historic cities”. Held in the court yard of the classically chic, Charles Hotel, Thursday’s savory food bazaar was jammed packed with food aficionados and curious tasters alike. Proceeds from this event benefited Youth on Fire, a care center for homeless / street-involved youth, and Club Passim’s Culture for Kids/Music Speaks, a free, monthly, multicultural program whose goals are to provide children with exposure to other cultures and peoples.

Starting off with something familiar

I ventured into the festive melee of food, music, and laughter for my first sampling. As the fates would have it, I stumbled upon Koreana, Cambridge’s premier Korean restaurant (and my shameless addiction). I sampled their kimchee (pickled cabbage with spicy seasoning), Gal bi (grilled, marinated beef), and chapchae (stir-fried cellophane noodles). The serving size was just enough to leave me with room to move on to the next food station.

Trying to stay cool

I will admit, the warm weather did play somewhat of a role in my sampling choices. Due to the humidity, I gravitated to any table that offered a cool and refreshing treat. Therefore, I found myself enjoying a creamy summer gazpacho from Small Plates and a flavorful shrimp gazpacho from Legal Seafoods. I topped off my night with a scoop of delicious homemade Black Raspberry ice cream from Lizzy’s Ice Cream.

Want to see some of my highlights for TOC, check out the following clip