Wall-to-wall treats Thursday night in both major rooms at The Hall at Fauntleroy, for the sold-out Taste of West Seattle, raising money for the West Seattle Food Bank.

More than two dozen local restaurants, cafés, caterers, wineries, breweries, and specialty food vendors were there to dish up and pour out some of what sets them apart from the rest. The desserts looked especially delectable. A team from Margie’s from the Center for Active Living wanted to add extra whip to this berry cobbler before its photo op:

Nearby, Dolcetta’s Artisan Sweets offered beautiful candy – and won the attendees’ vote for “Best Sweet”:

Beautious Bakin’ and Kakin‘ had a table stacked with mini-cakes:

At least one venue brought sweet and savory options – The Neighborhood, Morgan Junction’s new restaurant, offered hummus and chocolate mousse:

From further south, White Center’s The Roll Pod served achaari aloo rolls and won “Best Veggie” taste:

We also found a pocket of Admiral participants – Joanie Jacobs and husband Dan Jacobs on behalf of the shop she runs, West Seattle Grounds, with – what else – brewed coffee, roasted by Caffe Vita:

The Jacobs are also on the leadership team of the Admiral Neighborhood Association, whose meeting guests two nights ago included Seattle School Board president Gina Topp, who tonight was steps away from them on behalf of her restaurant Mission Cantina, serving shrimp ceviche:

From The Junction (and beyond) Molly Moon’s Ice Cream brought mini-sundaes:

Also in the dairy division, A Butter Place offered tastings of their title specialty:

Want to wash that down with wine? Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) was there – no surprise as winemaker Ben Viscon is a longtime bigtime Food Bank supporter; Viscon was the winner for the night’s “Best Pour”:

The parade of main dishes continued – beef stew and rice from Ku Mana‘s (Burundian cuisine):

Red beans and rice, mac and cheese, and cornbread from Peninsula Soul Food, the winner for “Best Savory” taste:

Nola’s Catering had meatballs and “meatless balls”:

And that’s just, well, a taste of what was offered. (The winners’ list included one we hadn’t photographed, La La’s Lemonade, “Best Non-Alcoholic Beverage.”) Taste’rs were also serenaded by music man Jim Page, who we recorded at the start of his story-song about bus drivers:

Guests also could play Plinko and/or enter gift-basket raffles. Before the event, WSFB’s Robbin Peterson said this Taste had the biggest advance ticket sales yet; we’re expecting the fundraising tally later today and will add it here!

3:11 PM: And here’s the WSFB report:

We are so grateful to everyone who came out to support the Taste of West Seattle! Together, our community raised an incredible $40,120 for the West Seattle Food Bank. While we fell short of our $60,000 goal, every dollar makes a real difference in helping neighbors access food, rent and utility assistance, clothing, and other vital resources. If you weren’t able to attend—or if you’d like to help us close the gap — contributions can still be made online. Thank you for showing up with such generosity; with your continued support, we can make sure every neighbor feels the strength of this community.

Special thanks to:
All the vendors who participated and brought their best food and drink, and to our sponsors and supporters: Hunt Jackson CPA, Pet Supplies Plus, Electric Butter Marketing, West Seattle Blog, eDesign Creative, MVP Photo Booth, Dsquared Hospitality/Tuxedos & Tennis Shoes, LD Techniques, Jamison Johnson Photography, and Jim Page.

We are deeply grateful not only to our attendees but also to the many small businesses who couldn’t join us in person yet still gave generously to our raffle. In the end, Taste of West Seattle 2025 was as much a celebration of small, local businesses as it was of community—and we’re honored to be part of such a caring, connected neighborhood.