Let me clear upfront, this is not a food review and I couldn’t do justice to the overall experience by singling out any particular restaurant or chef demonstration.

What I can say is that the food writers, critics and editors at the Times teamed with local chefs to produce this most wonderful opportunity to enjoy our local LA culinary scene in a most festive atmosphere.

It was a party with we (the guests) mingling through the booths set-up along Paramount’s movie set streets that created an all-inclusive sense of community. And regardless of the neighborhood we actually live in , we came together to enjoy food and drink to experience restaurants located from Glendora to Topanga.

There was an easy flow throughout the event — from parking in the nearby structure, to having ID checked (need to be over 21), to going through a security metal detector, and then moving through the scene and deciding where to queue up, in what were quickly moving lines, to be served each delicacy with care and a chance to learn about the cuisine and the restaurant.

Sharing bar-style and seated tables with others was the norm and afforded opportunities to have pleasant impromptu conversations as we savored what we were having at the moment and hearing recommendations for what to have next.

An air-conditioned tent lounge provided respite from the outdoor scene and another booth had guests making a 7-second video from which we received a totally cool personalized flip-book that was printed on-the-spot.

The Taste was a completely fulfilling, satisfying and fun experience. Event review, and photos by Michael Baroff.