3^rd Annual Masters of Taste: L.A.’s Top Tastemakers Celebrate the Finer Things On Field of the Iconic Pasadena Rose Bowl!

 (Los Angeles, CA), Tuesday, April 24^th, 2018: Come celebrate and be part of the 3^rd Annual Masters of Taste, L.A.’s premier outdoor, luxury food and beverage festival that will take place on Sunday, May 6^th, 2018 from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm on the field of the iconic Pasadena Rose Bowl!

Masters of Taste 2018 will bring over 2,500 food and beverage enthusiasts together from all over Greater Los Angeles for one afternoon to celebrate this exhilarating festival, which will include the finest fare from over 40 Culinary Masters and restaurants, delectable sweets prepared by L.A.’s top Sweet Masters, top Beverage Masters who will be featuring signature handcrafted cocktail tastings from 25 spirit brands and bars, a premier 50 yard-line cocktail bar featuring top Mixologists from four of L.A.’s most distinguished drinking destinations, select wineries, local craft breweries, cold-pressed juices cold brew coffee, live entertainment and much, much more.

100% of the proceeds from Masters of Taste 2018 will directly benefit Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to helping homeless men, women and children rebuild their lives. Union Station is part of a premier group of human services agencies in Los Angeles County that are leading the way to end homelessness in our community. The nonprofit agency offers an array of services including street outreach, meals, shelter, housing, case management and career development. In the last two years Masters of Taste has raised nearly $1 Million in support of Union Station’s life-saving programs.

Some of this year’s Masters of Taste 2018 participating Culinary Masters and Restaurants include:

• Ardour Hospitality Chef Michael Hung (Los Angeles)
• Alexander’s Steakhouse Chef Travis Flood (Pasadena)
• Ayara Lūk Chef Vanda Asapahu (Westchester)
• Bacchus Kitchen & Eatery and Claude & Co. Chef Claud Beltran (Pasadena)
• Bistro Mon Cheri Chef Kimmy Tang (Pasadena)
• Bone Kettle and Komodo Chef Erwin Tjahyadi (Pasadena and Los Angeles)
• Bourbon Steak Chef Kyle Johnson (Glendale)
• Celestino Ristorante Chef Calogero Drago (Pasadena)
• CHAYA Chef Joji Inoue (Downtown Los Angeles and Venice)
• Church & State and Spring Chef Tony Esnault (Downtown Los Angeles)
• Dérive Chef Shane Alvord (Pasadena)
• Eat @ Rollin’ Joe’s Chef Mark Salazar (Los Angeles)
• Fahrenheit LA Chef John McLellan (Los Aneles)
• Garlic & Chives Chef Kristin Nguyen (Garden Grove)
• Grill Em All Chef Ryan Harkins (Alhambra)
• Gus’s Barbecue Chef Mike Stern (South Pasadena)
• Jaffa Chef Anne Conness (Los Angeles)
• Kato Chef Jonathan Yao (Los Angeles)
• Li Orient Asian Bar & Restaurant and Triple 8 China Bar & Grill (Los Angeles)
• Loquita Chef Peter Lee (Santa Barbara)
• Lunasia Dim Sum House Chef Lee Hau Fu (Pasadena and Alhambra)
• M Café Chef Atsushi Kenjo (Melrose and Beverly Hills)
• Maestro Chef Elena Vega (Pasadena)
• Maple at Descanso Gardens Chef Philip Mack (La Cañada Flintridge)
• Mercado Chef Jose Acevedo (Hollywood, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Monica)
• Momed Chef Alex Sarkissian (Beverly Hills and Atwater Village)
• Montrésor and The FLATS Chef Paul Shoemaker (Studio City and Beverly Hills)
• Nerano Chef Michele Lisi (Beverly Hills)
• Pez Cantina Chef Bret Thompson (Downtown, Los Angeles)
• Poppy and Rose Chef Michael Reed (Los Angeles)
• Prince of Venice Chef Alberto Bertoncin (Los Angeles)
• Ramen Tatsunoya (Pasadena)
• Redbird Chef Neal Fraser (Downtown Los Angeles)
• Sweet Greek Chef Christina Xenos (Los Angeles)
• The Bellwether Chef Ted Hopson (Studio City)
• The Raymond 1886 Chef Tim Guiltinan (Pasadena)
• True Food Kitchen Chef Sebastian Pfleging (Pasadena)
• Wax Paper Chef Peter Lemos (Frogtown)
• Wolfgang Puck Catering (Los Angeles)
• World Empanadas Chef Matthew Hirtz (Burbank)

 Sweet Masters: A select group of Los Angeles Top Sweet Masters will showcase an assortment of delectable desserts such as the deliciously scrumptious scratch baked custom cakes from Butter Cake Shoppe, Chocolate Stars USA, Crème Caramel, traditional and wildly creative gelato flavors from Fatamorgana Gelato, homemade premium sorbets from Helados Pops, Chocolatier to the stars Mignon Chocolate, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Porto’s Bakery, Sidecar Doughnuts, The Dolly Llama, Zooies Cookies and more.

Some of this year’s participating Beverage Masters include:

Brewmasters: Beverage Masters who specialize in barley and hops will be presenting top-notch ales, lagers, pilsners and more for guests to sample, sip and savor all throughout the event, including Southern California favorites Angel City Brewery, Brewyard Beer Company, Indie Brewing Company, Iron triangle Brewing, Lincoln Beer Company, MacLeod Ale Brewing Co., Arcadia’s first Microbrewery Mt. Lowe Brewing Co., San Fernando Brewing Co. and State Brewing Co..

Wineries: A specially curated collection of Wine Masters will be showcasing their finest varietals including premium boutique winery Ascension Cellars, Cosentino Winery, Foris Winery & Vineyards, Golden Star Vineyards & Winery, Hitching Post Winery, Y3 by Jax Vineyards, Kieu Hoang Winery, Lorimar Vineyards and Winery, Anderson Valley’s Navarro Vineyards, Roboli Family, Rutherford Ranch Winery, and Wrath Wines.

Bars & Spirits: Some of L.A.’s top bartenders and cocktail bars will be creating first-rate craft cocktails, including Ann-Marie Verdi of The Bellwether, Cameron Masden of 1886, Dan Garvin of Magnolia House, Devon Espinosa of Sunset & Vinyl, Feisser Stone of CHAYA Izakaya and world-class Barman Payman Bahmani. Top brands showcasing their finest spirits will also include American Born Moonshine, Buzzbox, Dulce Vida Tequila, SelvaRey Rum, Smirnoff Spiked Sparking Seltzer, Woodford Reserve and ZYR Russian Vodka and many more.

Non-Alcoholic Beverages: A variety of premium non-alcoholic Beverage Masters will also be on hand for those who wish to hydrate, caffeinate or regenerate, such as Bai, Boxed Water, Califia Farms Juices and Cold Brew Coffees, Dry Sparkling, Groundwork Coffee, Honeydrop Beverages, Humm Kombucha, Immordl energy elixirs, cold-pressed juices from Nekter Juice Bar and Zico Coconut Water and more.

Sponsors: Masters of Taste 2018 is made possible through the generous support of our Sponsors, which include HomeStreet Bank, Judith L Chiara Foundation, Western Asset Management, Woodford Reserve, Kaiser Permanente, US Bank, Capitol Group, Universal Studios Hollywood, Kauffman Wealth Management, Westport Construction, Bank of America, MUFG Union Bank, HKG LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Pasadena Tournament of Roses and California Linens.

Ticket Information: Masters of Taste 2018 will take place on Sunday, May 6^th, 2018. A VIP Power Hour will be held from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm and General Admission will be from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Tickets to this event are only available for guests 21+ and over. For more information on Masters of Taste 2018 or to book your tickets directly, please visit www.MastersofTasteLA.com/Tickets.

Location:  Pasadena Rose Bowl – 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, CA 91103.

Transportation and Parking: Guests are encouraged to utilize car services – Masters of Taste 2018 Community Partner Lyft is offering (20% off rides to and from the event with this special code MOT2018), Uber, Taxi, etc. – since this event does serve alcoholic beverages. Complimentary parking is also available.

Masters of Taste Media Partners:

Masters of Taste Gold Sponsors:

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2018 Hashtags:  #mastersoftaste #eatmoregivemore #ushsnews