By Roxanne Brown
Taste of South Lake Draws 1,200 While Showcasing Local Businesses
Food samples, business exhibits and live entertainment brought a large crowd to Clermont Waterfront Park on Nov. 5 for the sold-out 15th annual Taste of South Lake & Business Expo.
Hosted by the South Lake Chamber of Commerce and presented by AdventHealth Minneola, the event gave guests an evening to explore local restaurants and connect with area businesses.
“We had about 1,200 attendees this year,” says David Colby, president of the South Lake Chamber of Commerce.
Guests sampled appetizers, entrees, desserts and beverages from 29 participating local restaurants and organizations while visiting booths where business representatives shared information about their products and services. The event ran from 5-8:30pm, with early access available to VIP ticket holders.
Main-stage entertainment featured Mark Houghton, School of Rock Clermont, Rob Nichols and DJ Don Spivey.
Attendees voted for their favorites throughout the evening, with eight awards recognizing food, drinks and booth presentations. The winners were:
- Best Appetizer: Clermont Oyster Bar
- Best Entree: Guru Indian Restaurant
- Best Dessert: Nothing Bundt Cakes
- Best Beverage: Suncreek Brewery & Distillery
- Best Nonalcoholic Beverage: Lake Technical College
- Best Restaurant Booth: The View Clermont
- Best Business Booth: Rockstar Expeditions
- People’s Choice: Fumao Table
During the awards presentation, David also recognized chamber staff and Trampis Bonjorn of Bonjorn Real Estate for their work preparing the waterfront site, coordinating electrical needs and organizing the event.
Originally from Nogales, Arizona, Roxanne worked in the customer service industry while practicing freelance writing for years. She came on board with Akers Media in July 2020 as a full-time staff writer for Lake & Sumter Style Magazine and was promoted to Managing Editor in October 2023—her dream job come true. Prior to that and after just having moved to Florida in 1999, Roxanne had re-directed her prior career path to focus more on journalism and went on to become a reporter for The Daily Commercial/South Lake Press newspapers for 16 years. Additionally, Roxanne—now an award-winning journalist recognized by the Florida Press Club and the Florida chapter of The Society of Professional Journalism—continues working toward her secondary goal of becoming a published author of children’s books.
