I’ve had the pleasure of living in Coral Springs for almost 17 years. During that time, I heard about the Taste of Coral Springs but never attended. The main reason for not attending is that it’s held on a Tuesday night. I work during the week, making it kinda tough to really enjoy myself and have to wake up at 500am.

During the last year, I have had the pleasure of meeting the President of the Taste of Coral Springs, John Arnold and his lovely wife Kathie. John wanted to bring me on board to help advertise this event. Before I said yes, I wanted to know one thing….where does all the profit go? John said, ” To three charities.” Once he told me the charities, my next question was… how much do you get paid? John looked right at me and said, “Nothing, everything goes charity.” I have to say this shocked me. I didn’t know if this guy was crazy or the nicest man walking around in Coral Springs. LOL. As I continued to listen to him, it became clear to me that he loved the charities, this event, and the City of Coral Springs. Since I really don’t get paid for supporting the businesses around Coral Springs and Broward County, John was singing my tune. I agreed to help him and a friendship was born.

With that said, I will be there this Tuesday to enjoy my first Taste of Coral Springs. The best part about this, it’s Fat Tuesday!  Man you can’t beat that. If you want to spend your money on some local children’s charities, eat, drink, and listen to live music… come on out! If you see me, please stop me and say hello. Below is the official release for the event and Stay Hungry!

The  Taste of Coral Springs returns to the Coral Springs Center for the Arts on February 28 with a Mardi Gras theme and samplings of the best food, wine, craft beer and spirits in the area, all to benefit local children’s charities.

Presented by JM Lexus, the Taste of Coral Springs takes place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Fat Tuesday, February 28. Pre-sale tickets are $50 prior to the event. Limited tickets may be available for $60 at the door. VIP Tickets are available for $75 each, which allow guests early admission at 5:30 p.m. to get the first samples of the delectable foods from local restaurants and beverages from vendors and distributors, all of which are included in the admission price.

This year, we will bring the spirit of New Orleans to life by dancing under the stars to fabulous live bands including IKO IKO, The Last Flight Out Dixieland Band, Simply Tina, as well as DJ Joey Scot. There will also be silent auction items, including vacation, golf and gift baskets, all benefiting Coral Springs Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, Junior Achievement of South Florida, and YMCA of South Florida.

Be sure to follow the Taste on Facebook at facebook.com/TasteofCoralSprings for all the updates on featured food & beverage vendors!

The Taste’s generous sponsors include: Title Label Sponsor JM Lexus; VIP Sponsor Frontpoint Security, Platinum Label Sponsor Forum Publishing Group; Gold Label Sponsor The City of Coral Springs and Coral Springs Center for the Arts; and Silver Label Sponsors Anchor Capital Advisors, Blue Stream, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Coral Springs Parkland City News, Saxena White PA, Style Entertainment and J+M Tax and Accounting Solutions.