Guests flocked to the 20th annual Taste of Somerville food festival held in Nathan Tufts Park on June 20. — Photos by Shira Laucharoen

By Shira Laucharoen 

Andalusian gazpacho topped with black olives and breadcrumbs. Black raspberry and chocolate ice cream in burnt marshmallow fluff cones, decorated with a rim of Fruity Pebbles or bacon.

These were among the samplings taking the stage at the 20th annual Taste of Somerville, a food and drink festival held on Wednesday, June 20, at Nathan Tufts Park.

With representation from over 60 local restaurants, food trucks, breweries, and wineries, the event was a lavish celebration of Somerville’s rich and diverse gastronomic world.

Fuji at Assembly served a variety of seafood and vegetarian sushi options.

“The way I talk about it is, in Somerville, anyone who lives there knows the culinary and drinking scene has been exploding in the past few years. It’s almost better than Boston at this point,” said Taste of Somerville committee member Luke O’Neil. “For a city of its size, it’s amazing, the breadth of options you can get. You can get high end stuff, fine dining doing experimental stuff, to neighborhood restaurants doing authentic food from different cultures.”

Scaling the slopes of the park, attendees had a chance to experience a host of edible options made available at the restaurants’ tables. Tony C’s served up shrimp and watermelon skewers, flavored with Cajun seasoning and drops of balsamic vinaigrette. Highland Kitchen offered a guajillo chili flatbread with mushroom lentil chorizo and fresh cheese. In the VIP section, guests were treated to Japanese brioche bread from Tasting Counter, complete with a choice of two jams. Meanwhile, Field and Vine provided marinated Persian cucumbers with cashew butter.

One of the goals of the festival was to introduce the public to new and exciting

Servers from Gracie’s Ice Cream prepared cones dipped in marshmallow fluff by toasting them with a torch.

offerings, with the hope that visitors will be surprised by what they taste and encouraged to try more, said general manager of Fuji at Assembly Peter Ho.

“All of our maki rolls have a seaweed wrapper and sushi rice prepped with rice vinegar, saki, and sugar. The unagi have eel sauce, and the spicy tuna and salmon are mixed with spicy mayo and have tempura bits. The California roll, you don’t want to mess with that,” said Ho. “It’s a big group, so you want crowd pleasers, or recognizable things. The chefs like to be creative, but on a large scale, we let the quality and freshness come through.”

The Taste of Somerville is produced by the Somerville Chamber of Commerce Dining and Nightlife Group. In addition to exposing diners to a variety of cuisines, the festival featured live entertainment, including music, games, and martial arts demonstrations. Proceeds from the event will be going to the Walnut Street Center, a nonprofit organization that supports adults with developmental disabilities in pursuing fulfilling lives.

The event allowed participants to experience the character of Somerville and potentially plan out their dining schedule for the next few months, said O’Neil. Restaurant owners intended their samples to reflect their menus, presenting a slice of culture and a preview of what guests can find at their establishments. The festival may inspire attendees to visit a local restaurant and get a sense of its unique flavor, said co-owner of Juliet Josh Lewin.

“At Juliet, the kitchen is right in the middle of the room,” Lewin said. “It’s a very small restaurant. It’s an experienced based dinner where you see and hear everything being prepared around you. Even the service staff are polishing glasses. None of it is hidden. We’re not just serving seasonal food; there’s a cultural perspective that changes.”

Union Square’s Juliet offered glasses of gazpacho, made from tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, sherry vinegar, and olive oil.

The festival featured live music from local bands, such as Bat House.