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Taste the Best of Tampa Bay

This year Taste the Best of Tampa Bay celebrates both its 25th anniversary and its host, The Producers volunteer group. The Producers helped raise more than $1.5 million and countless new friends for the Straz Center through this award winning event over the years.

While some aspects of the event are new (it now has a Facebook page),
others have become tradition. Some of Tampa Bay’s favorite landmark
restaurants, such as the historic Columbia and Sally O’Neal’s, have
served their award-winning culinary delights to hungry crowds at every
Best of Tampa Bay event.

Developed by Guest Quarters Hotels as a way to benefit arts organizations in Atlanta and Houston, the first “Best of” event in Tampa was held in 1985 to support the community’s dream of a new performing arts center – before the Straz Center had even opened.

Three years later the Best of Tampa Bay attracted more than 1,000 people and Guest Quarters handed over the reins to The Producers, Straz Center’s fledgling volunteer group of young professionals. The Producers have hosted the event ever since.

As a member of The Producers, Joe Reineman has been a part of every Best of Tampa Bay. “The original intent was to introduce people to the Straz Center. It’s hard to think that was ever an issue — now so many shows sell out,” Reineman says.

The annual event invited the community to get to know their new Performing Arts Center while enjoying food from more than 40 of Tampa’s best restaurants, open bar, the best live entertainment and other “best of” surprises.

For several years there was a competitive edge to the event. Esteemed
judges from the Culinary Arts Institute and food editor Mildred Ying of Good
Housekeeping magazine were brought in to taste samples and bestow awards.

Eventually, attendees became the judges in a variety of ‘People’s Choice’
contests.

The event, now called Taste the Best of Tampa Bay, remains one of the Straz Center’s top annual fund- and friendraisers bringing an average of 1,200 to 1,800 people out to share an evening of feasting and fun each spring.

Take advantage of a special offer just for our friends who read our blog and friend us on social media platforms like facebook and twitter. You can get $45 tickets for the 7 p.m. entrance with the promo code PRO!

Enjoy - and save me some Bang Bang Shrimp!

-Kari G.

Tweet up! Both sides of the Bay!

As you know, TBPAC loves social media! We've been on board since the beginning. Social media is the fastest growing segment of our marketing strategies and our fans/friends/followers are the best around!

We've partnered with St. Pete Tweets and the TampaBloggers to do a very special networking event this Friday! Beginning at 6:30 on October 9, we will be doing "haunted tours" of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. This is the underground stuff you never get to see - evacuation tunnels, views under the stages, and some stories that you won't believe!

Then our bloggers and tweeters have a couple of options at 8 p.m. You can either see the always red-hot Florida Orchestra's Rhythms on Fire, Jobsite Theater's hilarious comedy And Baby Makes 7 (and get 1/2 off your ticket price with the promo code CECIL), or you can save your pennies and see the free movie on the lawn Coraline.

If you're staying for the movie, lawn chairs and blankets are wonderful, coolers and dogs that like to bark at the move are not wonderful. Bug spray is recommended for this first movie of the season and of course extra points if you come in your Halloween costume.

RSVP for the Tweet Up and we'll see you on Friday!

-Kari G.

If you care, SHARE!

We have a feature on our website and our eCenter newsletters - no matter what the information - announcements, shows, discounts, classes, dining opportunities, you name it - there is always an icon nearby that looks like the one above.

That's the ShareThis option. Click on it and you can share our information with your friends on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, Blogspot, Technorati and more!

Be a Performing Arts Social Media Maven! When you see a show, event, class, or blog post you like - let everyone know. You'll be rewarded with new fans flocking to your Social Media Mecca. If nothing else, you'll look tres sophisticated and well versed in the arts scene in Tampa Bay. We all win!

-Kari G.