BETHEL — A few hundred people took in what Bethel had to offer on Saturday at the Community & Business Expo and Taste of Bethel & Beyond events at Telstar High School.

The Taste of Bethel featured samples from seven restaurants. For a buck a sample, one could get portions of prime rib, rib eye steak and more from the Black Diamond Steakhouse, which was a big hit among the more than 100 people in the cafeteria.

“Everyone seems to be enjoying it,” manager Melissa Cunningham said while chef Rick Savage served meat that his son cooked outside on a grill. “We have all of our cuts that we serve on the menu here.”

Steve Etheridge, the owner of Rooster’s Roadhouse, offered a spicy three-bean chili and white chocolate bread pudding with raspberry sauce and whipped cream that drew rave comments and repeated trips.

“This bread pudding over here is to die for,” Julia Reuter of Bethel said.

“The secret is Portugese sweet bread,” Etheridge said.

The Crosstone Restaurant from the Mollyockett Motel in Woodstock brought chicken cordon bleu and ultimate chocolate cake; Erin’s Cafe served gluten-free fish chowder, raw carrot-apple juice and chocolate chip cookies; The Sudbury Inn brought their award-winning Maine clam chowder; The Good Food Store brought butternut squash lasagna, mac and cheese with ham and ginger apple crisps; Smokin’ Good BBQ served pulled pork, coleslaw and cornbread; and Dunkin’ Donuts brought doughnuts and coffee.

“The food is great this year,” volunteer food ticket seller Laurence Austin said. He owns and operates Holidae House in Bethel, a bed and breakfast.

“Do not miss the bread pudding and the butternut squash lasagna,” he said to two women buying tickets.

“There is wonderful food here today, especially the steak at the Black Diamond table. It was great,” Bethel Selectman Pat Carter said. “They went above and beyond.”

Over in the gym, employees from many businesses from Bethel to Rumford introduced themselves to everyone, some offering free samples, others offering a chance to win goods.

The Mahoosuc Arts Council was raffling a beautifully painted Adirondack chair by Jewel Clark, showing a running buck and a standing doe in a woodland setting that garnered a lot of attention. That drawing for “Got Your Deer Yet?” will be done on Nov. 24, the last day of hunting season, a sign on the Adirondack chair stated.

Robin Zinchuk, executive director of the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce, said both events went very well.

“I’m really pleased with the turnout,” she said. “The restaurants here really stepped up their game.”

Originally, the event was held on the first Saturday in December, which usually gets hit with bad weather. So Zinchuck said they moved it to the last Saturday in October and that appeared to work better.

“I’ve only heard good things,” she said.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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