VENTNOR – More than 400 people toured 23 eateries and liquor stores to get a sampling of what each has to offer diners in advance of the summer of 2025.
The Ventnor Beautification Committee holds the event the week before Memorial Day weekend to give locals and visitors a preview of what’s for dinner.
All proceeds of the event go to beautify the city. In past years, the committee has funded new banners on the boardwalk and business district, provided decorative trash and recycling containers, and this year, will donate $100,000 toward the cost of building a new band shell in the beachfront park on Newport Avenue where concerts are held.
But on Sunday, the focus was on food. Restaurants in the city’s business districts offered diners a small bite of their most popular dishes, including everything from exotic seafood stew to grandma’s pizza.
Trish Adams of Margate said at the end of last year’s event, she was “stuffed.”
“Even though they are giving you small portions, when you go to all of the restaurants on the tour, it’s a lot,” she said, noting that Stella is her favorite restaurant.
A group of friends from “down the street” in Margate traveled in a group from place to place.
They loved the roast port and broccoli rabe sandwiches served at Florida Cold Cuts.
“We look forward to this every year,” Dory Voso said. “I love coming to these Ventnor restaurants in the off-season when they need us most.”
Ilene and Marc Greenberg, also of Margate, were on the tour for the first time. They liked the variety of sandwiches offered at Bruno’s.
Although they are from the neighborhood, a group of Ventnorites took the tour as a group with their own “Chef Boyardee” theme.
“I did Chef’s Night Out once six years ago and saw people in a group wearing aprons, so we decided to come dressed as chefs,” she said wearing a paper toque and red bandana around her neck. “You’ve got to make your own fun.”
Kristin Marinelli attended with friends too. Although, as a former part-time residents, she has known about Chef’s Night Out for several years, this is the first time she decided to purchase tickets before they were sold out.
“We’re here full-time now in Margate, so I gathered up some friends for a night on the town,” she said.
Like most residents with good intentions, she said she planned to patronize the BYOBs of Ventnor in the off-season but never got around to it.
“So I’m hitting them all tonight,” she said.
Participating restaurants included Doma, Stella, Florida Cold Cuts, Zorro’s Pizza, Sapore Wood Fired Pizza, Isabella’s, PJ Buckets, Red Room Café, Nucky’s Kitchen and Speakeasy, Bruno’s Italian Market, North Beach Café and Creamery, Martina’s Trattoria, Aroma, Custard’s Last Stand, Peace Pie, Sundaze Ice Cream, Community Liquors and White Star Liquors. Diners also were able to get a sneak peek at the new Ventnor Social, which opened at the site of Santucci’s Original Square Pizza.
Ventnor Beautification Committee hosted its annual Chef's Night Out event Sunday, May 18 at 23 locations around town.
Copyright Access Network 2025
