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Taste of Ocala 2013

April 8, 2013 by Julie 60 Comments

My Saturday was consumed by the Taste of Ocala. The Taste of Ocala is an annual fundraiser that raises money for scholarships for the College of Central Florida. A handful of Ocala’s top restaurants prepare incredibly delicious food for attendees to enjoy and it’s always a lot of fun!

As a member of the planning committee, I met up with the other committee members at the College of Central Florida to decorate and assist participating restaurants on Saturday morning.

I left around 4:15 p.m. to change and pick up Ryan and returned at 5:30 p.m. to help tie up any loose ends before the judges arrived at 6 p.m. 

Julie Ryan Taste of Ocala

I walked around with one of the judges and had a great time listening to the restaurants explain their dishes. My mouth was watering and I couldn’t wait to dig into the food once the judges finished and the event officially began.

While the judges walked from booth to booth, the cocktail party outside seemed to be going well!

Taste of Ocala Cocktail Hour

We moved the event up by several weeks this year since last year’s cocktail party was a little too warm. The weather was perfect and there was a nice breeze that kept everyone cool.

Ryan and I both sipped on some wine while checking out the silent auction.

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Taste of Ocala Silent auction

Harry and David Gift Basket

Big thanks to Reebok, the beautiful W Hotel Atlanta Buckhead and Harry & David for answering my emails and generously donating items to this auction!

Once the doors opened around 7:15 p.m., everyone started making their way around the room and filling their plates.

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To say the food was delicious would be an understatement! I ended up feeling so full by the end of the night, but with so many fantastic dishes to try, I didn’t want to miss anything!

My stand-out dishes for the evening included the lobster risotto from the Braised Onion, the cannoli from Magnolia Bakery, Frutissia’s coconut ice cream and the cinnamon sugar grilled pineapple from Ipanema.

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It was a fun and filling night!

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Filed Under: Dessert, Dinner, Ocala Tagged With: cocktail party, dinner, Ocala, Taste of Ocala

About Julie

My name is Julie and I am a full-time blogger, new mama, fitness enthusiast (certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor) and food fanatic (mostly healthy... but also not-so-healthy) living in North Carolina with my husband, dog and baby boy. Thank you for visiting Peanut Butter Fingers! I hope you enjoy little glimpses into my life and have fun trying the sweaty workouts I frequently share and making some of my favorite recipes along the way!

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Comments

  1. Amy H. @ Run with Perseverance says

    April 8, 2013 at 6:51 pm

    That pineapple sounds FANTASTIC!

    Reply
  2. Danica @ It's Progression says

    April 8, 2013 at 8:36 pm

    That event would be SO much fun to attend!

    Reply
  3. Angela says

    April 8, 2013 at 9:27 pm

    Oh my gosh, this post is making me hungry! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Brie @ Eat Books says

    April 8, 2013 at 9:56 pm

    Fashion post, please! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Bek @ Crave says

    April 8, 2013 at 10:44 pm

    How fun! I’d love to attend something like this. Looks like amazing food!

    Reply
  6. Karey @ Nutty About Health says

    April 8, 2013 at 11:45 pm

    The Taste of Ocala looks amazing (and delicious)! Love your dress, so pretty!

    Reply
  7. Jill says

    April 9, 2013 at 12:33 am

    What a great article. The food looks sensational and the venue looks like a really wonderful place. The lobster would be my favorite, but everything else looks just as good.

    Reply
  8. Audrey @ In Shape Cupcake says

    April 9, 2013 at 7:19 am

    I want to go to this one day! You make it sounds way too much fun! Love your hair and dress by the way 🙂

    Reply
  9. Ryann says

    April 9, 2013 at 8:02 pm

    Yum that food looks AMAZING — what an awesome event! I love your dress too!

    Reply
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Hi! I’m Julie and I am a mom to three energetic boys and a personal trainer and blogger living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Welcome to my blog! Peanut Butter Fingers follows my life and my interests in food, fitness, family, travel and (mostly) healthy living.
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