LONG ISLAND CITY — Taste of LIC, the neighborhood's annual food festival, will be held at Kaufman Astoria Studios this year after an eight-year run on the Hunters Point waterfront, organizers said.
The 12th annual restaurant-tasting event — a fundraiser for local theater The Chocolate Factory — returns Tuesday and will feature food from 50 eateries on the studios' outdoor film lot on 36th Street between 34th and 35th avenues.
For the past eight years, the festival was held on the Hunters Point waterfront at Gantry Plaza State Park, but the location didn't allow participating chefs to use cooking devices like grills and hot plates, organizer Brian Rogers said.
"There were a lot of restrictions in terms of what could and couldn't happen there," said Rogers, The Chocolate Factory's artistic director. "After eight years in the same place, we felt a need to shake things up a bit."
This year's event will feature food by chefs from local restaurants like Michelin Star winner Casa Enrique, M. Wells Steakhouse, Kavala Estiatorio, LIC Market, Woodbines and Crabhouse LIC, among others.
A number of Astoria restaurants will also participate, including Kurry Qulture, Salt and Bone and The Thirsty Koala, while drinks will be provided by Big Alice Brewing Company, BLVD Wine Bar and more.
Before being held at Gantry Plaza State Park, the festival took place inside The Chocolate Factory Theater with just a small number of vendors.
Tickets for Taste of LIC start at $65 and can be purchased online. Proceeds will support The Chocolate Factory's 2017-'18 season.
