LONG ISLAND CITY — You would have thought The Chocolate Factory Theater's official flavor was obvious, but organizers of the Taste of LIC are putting it up to a vote.
As part of this year's seventh annual food festival, which raises money for the art space, visitors will be asked to choose its official type of ice cream.
The event, held on June 5 between 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in a vast tent along the Long Island City waterfront at Gantry Plaza State Park, will this year host 52 local venues including bars, restaurants and stores.
“The tent can be seen from Manhattan and draws a large crowd from all over,” said Sheila Lewandowski, the theater’s executive director.
“The event has grown by 15 percent since last year and tickets are selling at almost double the pace."
The festival has become a tradition in the neighborhood, whose residents come in large numbers to support the experimental theater that opened its doors in 2004. Last year, Taste of LIC drew a crowd of 1,200 people, representatives said.
Lewandowski said the idea started when The Chocolate Factory began partnering with local venues for post-performance events.
“Rather than hosting its annual gala outside of its local community, we decided instead to host a community celebration of which local restaurants, distributors and manufacturers would be the stars,” she said.
The ice cream contest started months ago. The theater has whittled two dozen submissions down to two finalists — Shiraz Rocky-Road and Pear Belle-Helene.
Festival participants will choose the official Chocolate Factory themed flavor on June 5. It will later be produced and sold until at least the end of summer at locally owned and operated ice-cream store Malu.
Tickets for the event range from $60 to $400.
