On Friday October 7th, members of the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce met at the Radisson Star Plaza for their fifth year of their Wine and Craft Beer Tasting. Vendors included Wise Guys, Cooper’s Hawk, and Calumet Brewing. All together, there were about 40 different types of wine and beer available for members to sample. The food provided by the Radison Star Plaza was a mix of desserts, flatbreads, sliders and a very popular southern style food table that included many Louisiana dishes.
“I’m a Louisiana girl, and I've got to tell you this jambalaya is pretty good,” said board member Shirley Dunn, who was also chairing this event.
“I’m from Louisiana too. And she’s right this jambalaya is spot on!” added Tracy Tamborrino, a chamber member, as well as the Business Development Manager for BoBB Auto Group, sponsor of the event. “If you’re a foodie or a wine person this is the place to be! The Radisson does a phenomenal job every year with the food and this year is no exception.” said Dunn
The Radisson featured four different table stations for food. The dessert table featured a tart made from local apples, a chocolate bourbon pecan cup, and parfait shooters. Near the desert table was the always crowded southern food table. This table included chicken and waffles, jambalaya-croque, and grits with shrimp. Across the ballroom was the flatbread and sliders table, which included beef and pork sliders, and various flatbreads to choose from.
All of three of the alcohol vendors predominantly featured wine, but each had alternative options available. Wise Guy’s had a featured a bottle of warm sake available for tasting. Calumet Brewing had several fall seasonal craft beers available for sampling.
“I had a glass of Earthquake Cabernet and that was really good. I’ll probably take a bottle of that home!” said Tamborrino.
“Tonight is an evening to bring our members together to socialize and network if they’d like. There’s no specific agenda. Just enjoy some good food and wine.” said Sue Reed, the Crossroads Chamber President and CEO. “It gives our members an opportunity to showcase the different wine and beer they have. But really it’s just about bringing people together.”
“What I like about this is that we’re not at a chamber lunch where it's all business.” said Bryan S. Lazorik, the Chairman of the Board. “You get to see people in a relaxed atmosphere. And really get to know people. Its different than a solely networking event. It’s really more of a date night than anything else.”
For additional information on the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce, including on how to become a member, click here!