The seventh annual Masters of Taste, a premier outdoor, luxury food and beverage festival, will be held Sunday, April 7, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the Rose Bowl field. All of the proceeds will directly benefit Pasadena’s Union Station Homeless Services, a nonprofit organization providing more than 50 years of homeless services and housing for thousands of neighbors.
Chef Bret Thompson and Lucy Thompson-Ramirez will serve as the hosts of the seventh annual Masters of Taste. Thompson had an extensive tenure with The Patina Group, working at multiple restaurants, running catering operations and ultimately becoming the Corporate Executive Chef overseeing all restaurant operations for the entire group. He co-founded and became a partner at the iconic MILK Ice Cream Parlor & Bakeshop in Los Angeles. He also opened his own Market Restaurant and Catering, which he successfully sold in 2014.
In 2015, he joined forces with his wife, Lucy Thompson-Ramirez, as owners of Pez Cantina, a seasonal, modern, coastal-inspired Mexican restaurant and bar, located in downtown Los Angeles. Thompson-Ramirez was appointed as president of the Latino Restaurant Association in 2023 and serves on the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board. In February, the pair opened Pez Coastal Kitchen, their new upscale seafood-focused eatery in Pasadena.
Last year’s Masters of Taste was a sold-out event that attracted more than 3,000 guests and will include the finest fare from more 100 “culinary masters” and restaurants, sweets prepared by L.A.’s top “sweet masters.”
Top “beverage masters” will be featuring signature handcrafted cocktail tastings from more than 25 spirit brands and top cocktail bars, select wineries, local craft breweries, cold brew coffee, live entertainment and much, much more.
Some of this year’s Masters of Taste participating restaurants include Pez Cantina Village and Pez Coastal Kitchen Seafood Village by Santa Monica Seafood, 1212 Santa Monica, Arth Bar + Kitchen, Agnes Restaurant and Cheesery, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Ayara Thai, Baar Baar Los Angeles, Beachy’s Food Truck, Box Chicken, Casa Cordoba, Celestino Ristorante, Cerda Vega Tacos, Champion’s Curry, Chaaste Family Market, City Club Los Angeles, Emporium Thai, Fat Boys, Gabi James, Georgia’s Restaurant, Granville Pasadena, Gus’s World-Famous Fried Chicken, Harold & Belle’s, Italia Pasta e Pizza, La Bohéme, Lavo Ristorante, Lunasia, Mama M Sushi, Marina, Mercado, Panda Inn, Poppy + Rose, Rice Balls of Fire, Room Service Neighborhood, Santa Monica Seafood, Soulmate, StopBye Café, Taishi Hainan Chicken, The Peppered Goat, UCHI West Hollywood, Yakiya, Yardbird and Yuca’s Restaurant.
A select group of top “sweet masters” will showcase an assortment of delectable desserts such as Bachan’s Shave Ice, warm chocolate chip cookies from Bake Some Noise, Beard Papa’s, Bertha Mae’s Brownies, By Faith Café, Gooey Center Bakery, Happy Ice LA, Läderach, Cakes By Chanté and Lark Cake Shop, Magpies Softserve, Marsatta Chocolate, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pops Artisanal Creamery, Pazzo Gelato, Porto’s Bakery & Café, and more.
Some of L.A.’s top bartenders and cocktail bars include Dead of Night Distillery, Dulce Vida Tequila, Empress 1908 Gin, Knox & Dobson, La Bay Gin, Laurel Canyon Spirits, Lunetta, Mario’s Hard Espresso, Mezcal 33, Neft Vodka, Nosotros Tequila & Mezcal, Old Hillside Bourbon Company, Smoke Lab Vodka, The Raymond 1886, Ventura Spirits and Angeleno Spritz, Vintage Distilling, and Xoloitzcuintle Tequila.
“Beverage Masters” who specialize in barley and hops will be presenting top-notch ales, lagers, pilsners and more for guests to sample, sip and savor all throughout the event, including Southern California favorites All Season Brewing, Arrow Lodge Brewing, Arts District Brewing Company, Big Noise Beer, Boomtown Brewery, Cerveceria Del Pueblo, Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Beer, Mt. Lowe Brewing Co., Nova Brewing Co., Over Town Brewing Co., San Fernando Brewing Co., and Tarantula Hill Brewing Co.
A specially curated collection of wine and sake masters will include Ascension Cellars, Bodegas de Santo Tomas, BONDLE Wines, CR Winery, Golden Star Vineyards, Hitching Post Wines, LMA Wines, Moraga Canyon Vineyards, Anderson Valley’s Navarro Vineyards, NON, Sake Akagisan, Sake High!, San Simeon Wines, Stephen Hemmert Wines, Warson Wine Company, and Wiens Cellars.
Non-alcoholic beverage masters include Perfect Hydration Alkaline Water, yerba mate from Erva Brew Co., Koe Kombucha, boba milk tea from Sunright Tea Studio and Bearology, and Unincorporated Coffee Roasters.
Over the last six years, Masters of Taste has raised nearly $3 million, helping countless families and individuals find a secure and welcoming place to call home. Union Station has seen a 97% success rate in permanently housing people since adopting the Housing First model. Their mission transcends just providing temporary shelters; the nonprofit is committed to creating lasting solutions for homelessness through housing, supportive services and connection to the community. Over the past 50 years, Union Station has grown to be one of the best homeless services agencies in Los Angeles and is the lead county agency for Service Planning Area 3, coordinating homeless services in 38 communities spanning from Eagle Rock to Pomona.
Masters of Taste is a 100% outdoor event. All guests will be receiving their own utensils and hand sanitizer to use throughout the event. A “VIP Power Hour” will be held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and general admission will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit MastersofTasteLA.com.
First published in the April 4 print issue of the South Pasadena Review.
