Oh What a Night!

Taste of the Valley 2008 was an amazing success!

Over 250 people joined us for a festive evening of great food, music -- and an exciting silent auction! We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the participating restaurants, our sponsors, those you donated items for the auction and the event, and all of the individuals who came out and supported us by buying tickets and purchasing auction items. THANK YOU!

It is also our pleasure to announce to 2008 winners....

• Best Presentation - Sage American Grill
• Best Appetizer - The Whistle Stop
• Best Dessert - du' Glace Bistro & Patisserie
• And taking home the Taste of the Valley commemorative fork for Best Overall....

Sage American Grill

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR WINNERS
AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS AND CATERERS, including

Dagmar's Desserts
du' Glace Bistro & Patisserie
Gabrielle's
The Ivory
The Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station
Sage American Grill
The Whistle Stop Cafe

THANK YOU AGAIN for all our support --
especially our sponsors and contributors

The Clark Group
Whelen Engineering
Shore Publishing
Angus McDonald/Gary Sharpe & Associates
Bogeart Construction
New Alliance Bank
Wachovia Securities
Hi-Rel
Maple Self-Storage
CIEL Printing
Eastern Rentals
The Shiny Lapel Trio
Dunkin' Donuts in Deep River

Enjoy the pictures and if you took pictures and are interested in sharing them with us, send them to ttysb@aol.com. If you purchased a silent auction item and were not able to pick it up on Friday night, call the office at (860)526-3600 and arrange a time to pick up your item. If you have suggestions for how to improve our event or are interested in joining our committee for 2009, please post a comment here or call (860)526-4445.

We look forward to having you join us next year - for Taste of the Valley 2009.

AMAZING Silent Auction!

We are SO happy to report that we have over 85 (!!!!!!!!!!) auction items that will be available for bidding on Friday night. Given that we have so many great items, we will be trying something new Friday night -- each silent auction table will close at a different posted time -- to be sure that EVERYONE takes something home!

The full list will be an insert in your program -- but here some highlights from each category!

For Family & Friends: Killington Weekend, Feast Dinner Club, Peek-a-Booquets, A Private Tour of the Chester Firehouse, Dinner at du Village in Chester, $100 gift certificate at Camp Hazen, 3 $15 off gift certificate for school pictures from Joseph's, Microsoft Student Office & Encarta, A greek dinner for 6, a party for 6 at the Clayhouse

For the Home: A 50% off discount at Leif Nilsson's gallery, a pastel piece by Jil Nelson, a discount off a wall mural in your home by Rick Silderberg, a discount off a painting by David Brown, a gorgeous bird house, a plate from Ceramica, a basket from the Gilded Pear, lanscaping services, and two antique boudoir lamps

Jewelry: Pieces from Tracye Mueller, watches from Celebrations, handmade earrings and pin by Lori Lenz, pearl earrings from DePaula Jewelers, and more!

Pamper Yourself (or someone you love!) & Health & Wellness: A one hour in-home massage, a Mary Kay basket, a leather pocketbook from Scotland, a canvas bag from Scencibles, life coaching sessions, gym memberships, a spray-tanning session, and haircuts galore!

Experience the River Valley: Dinner at the River Tavern, a 1/2 hour flight for 3 people from Chester Airport, Essex Steam Train for a family of 4, Bunch for 2 at Water's Edge, Goodspeed Opera Tickets, and restaurant gift certificates from up and down the Valley and Shoreline!

For the Enthusiast: A crystal murano necklace from Angies,
binoculars, lunch & kayaking from the Villager, a sunset cruise of Selden's Creek for 4, a life jacket, cookbooks from Homeworks, a beer basket, a coffee & tea basket, a seafood cooking basket, a basket for your favorite dog -- and more!

AGAIN, we cannot thank our local businesses, artisans, and individuals enough for the overwhelming generousity to Tri-Town Youth Services - and for supporting our event. Please come -- and bid -- and have a great time! See you on Friday!

Two more great donations!

Feast Gourmet Market is introducing a new Dinner Club for families -- and has generously donated a prepared dinner for a family of four, once a week for eight weeks -- valued at $320!


Angus McDonald, Jr. has donated a two-hour evening tour of Selden's Creek by boat for a group of four -- with wine and cheese. Will be amazing to see the fall foliage!

More to come!

Silent Auction donations are rolling in!

From Clinton to Chester, local businesses and individuals are generously donating interesting items to our silent auction. From a three-day weekend to a ski-house that sleeps 8 in Vermont to an antique quilt from Riverwind Antiques to a discount on a wall mural in your home to a homemade Greek dinner for 6 to a gourmet lunch and kayaking for 2 donated by The Villager in Chester -- we are excited! And hope you are too! We will posting a full list of auction items shortly!

Another restaurant signs on to TOV 2008!

Sage American Grill - Chester will be joining us for Taste of the Valley 2008 - we are so excited to welcome them to our event! Come join us for what will be a fantastic evening!

Another major sponsor signs on to Taste of the Valley!

The Taste of the Valley Committee is pleased to announce that Shore Publishing Newspapers has generously signed on as a major event sponsor of Taste of the Valley 2008! We appreciate their support -- and are excited to have them join us at the event! Look for our ads in the August 14th - September 4th editions of The Valley Courier and The Harbor News! THANK YOU!

Another great addition to Taste of the Valley!

The Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station, Inc. and Riverhouse Catering, a Banquet Facility and Off-site Catering company located in Haddam, CT, will be joining us for Taste of the Valley 2008! We are so excited to welcome this new addition to our fantastic event!

Another restaurant signs on for Taste of the Valley!

The Whistle Stop Cafe of Deep River, CT will be joining us again this year -- treating us to a delectable appetizer and dessert...that is a secret for the moment! Come find out what amazing creation Hedy will treat you to! Tickets on sale now! Get them before we sell out!

Tickets on Sale NOW!

Tickets to Taste of the Valley 2008 are - ON SALE NOW! You can purchase tickets at the Tri-Town Youth Services Office, Celebrations in Deep River, or the Essex Savings Bank. You can also purchase them for any of the Tri-Town Youth Services Board Members. Tickets are $30 each, or 2 for $50.

Call Tri-Town Youth Services at 526-3600, if you have any questions! SEE YOU THERE! And stay tuned for amazing silent auction items....

Thank you to our major sponsors!

We would like to thank The Clark Group and Whelen Engineering
for their generous sponsorship of Taste of the Valley 2008!

More Restaurants & Sponsors!

We are so excited that Dagmar's Desserts has decided to treat us once again to delectable desserts and treats at Taste of the Valley 2008! Stay tuned for more restaurant news!

We would also like to thank our corporate sponsors for their generousity and support. Without firms like Bogaert Construction and Angus McDonald, Gary Sharpe, & Associates - our event could not become a reality. THANK YOU!

Big News - The Shiny Lapel Trio will be there!

We would like to announce that the Shiny Lapel Trio will be providing the entertainment for Taste of the Valley 2008! Last year, we were wow-ed by their groovin' tunes - and are so happy that will be joining us again for this special event.

Another restaurant says "YES" for Taste of the Valley 2008!

We are excited to announce that Gabrielle's will be joining us for Taste of the Valley 2008. Last year, they wowed us with their selection of Mediterranean tapas; we are looking forward to their culinary creations. Stay tuned for more exciting Taste of the Valley news - including corporate sponsors and local businesses that have generously donated items to our silent auction.

First Two Restaurants Agree to Participate in 2008!

The Taste of the Valley Committee is pleased to announce that Bistro Du Glace, 2007 winner of Best Dessert and Best Presentation, and The Ivory, 2007 Best Overall winner, of Deep River, CT have agreed to participate in Taste of the Valley 2008. We could not be more excited to have these culinary masters join us again!

Save The Date - September 5, 2008

Taste of the Valley 2008 Planning has begun!

We are happy to announce that the planning for Taste of the Valley 2008 has begun! If you are interested in being on this year's committee, contact the TTYS office at (820) 536-3600.
Stay tuned to this website for updates, sponsors, restaurants and news!