Enlarge More than 100 participants enjoyed food from the diverse restaurant scene during Taste Of The World.

Posted: October 9th, 2009 Crystal Dempsey

Report by Tonya Jameson, Ayofemi Kirby and James Willamor

For more photos from the Taste of the World tour, click here.

They came from Matthews, South Charlotte, University City, Concord and beyond to participate in the seventh Taste of the World.

Despite tough economic times, the event organized by the Charlotte East group was sold out, with more than 100 people enjoying food from 15 restaurants, SMS Catering and desserts at the Vanlandingham Estate.

John Schriml said he and his wife often drive by East side restaurants to visit friends and often talk about eating at one of the restaurants. “We never take the time to do it, and didn’t know which places to go to,” Schriml said.

Schriml’s sentiment echoed many TOTW first-timers who say they want to try ethnic restaurants, but don’t know which ones are good.

Participants’ journey began at SMS Catering where guests mingled and were greeted by event supporters such as Charlotte City Council member Nancy Carter and sponsors such as Patricia Zoder of Crossroads Charlotte.

Each bus stopped at three international restaurants on the city's east side. Volunteer guides on each bus gave a background on each restaurant and it menu, and encouraged participants to get to know one another.

Facilitators on the two buses sponsored by Crossroads Charlotte shared its mission to build social capital in Charlotte through events such as Taste of the World.

"[Social capital] is the glue that holds us together as a community,” said Brian Foreman, a facilitator who works with Crossroads Charlotte. “So when there are difficult conversations that need to happen if you have social capital built up, we tend to trust each one another a little bit more.”

So, what did they get to eat?

On one of the Crossroads Charlotte buses, the first stop was at Dim Sum, a Chinese restaurant on Central Avenue, the menu, served family style, for the evening included dumplings, lo mein and beef with wide noodles.

Next up was Woodlands, a vegetarian Indian restaurant on Albemarle Road, offered saffron rice, a tandoori dish, naan and rice pudding.

While the Landmark on Central Avenue is known as for being a late night breakfast stop, but it’s also a Greek restaurant with a bakery. The plates for TOTW-ers included spanakopita, chicken and moussaka. The portions were huge but, luckily, everyone got to-go boxes.

The other Crossroads Charlotte bus made its first stop at Brazas Brazilian Grill on Sharon Amity, where diners sampled traditional Brazilian meats, fruits and vegetables.

Guests walked around the corner to the Middle East Deli where they sampled hummus, grape wraps and a special tea blend mixed with rose water.

The final dinner destination was Conga's Cuban Café, where cultural staples such as baked and fried plantains were served.

“I’ve never been to anything like this,” said Donna Bethune, who is from New Jersey. “I’m so glad someone invited me.”

And on the Country Club Heights bus, attendees got a special treat at their first stop, Mama's Caribbean Grill.

Zahra Reid, granddaughter of one of the founders of Mama’s Caribbean Grill, greeted the guests as they entered the door. Guests enjoyed jerk and curry chicken, rice and beans, and zesty vegetables.

Then Mama herself came out to personally greet and hug every visitor. “Mama does all the cooking – I just do the talking and eating,” said one of her sons.

After dinner, granddaughter Zahra sang a Christmas song she has recently been learning for an upcoming school performance.

The group also got a warm welcome at Jerusalem Restaurant. Yahia Al-Baghdadi talked about the Middle Eastern food presented on two large trays, which included lamb, falafel, baba ghanoush, hummus, shawarma, and tabouli.

During dinner, Yahia attempted to teach the group to sing "Happy Birthday" in Arabic, in honor of the three participants were celebrating their birthdays by taking the TOTW tour.

Outside Jerusalem Restaurant, several men enjoyed flavored tobacco in a hookah. They thanked our group for visiting and asked to have their photo taken.

The third and final stop for the Country Club Heights bus was at Pollos Mario, a Colombian restaurant, which featured arroz con pollo, empanadas, yucca frita and more. The empanadas, or meat pies, were a hit with many guests.

Manager Fernando Correa greeted each guest personally. A language barrier was easily overcome by smiles, handshakes, and firm pats on the back.

Read the Crossroads correspondents' tweets about the event!

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