Sample local fare at Taste of Lisle

The flavor of Lisle is more appetizing than ever this year at the village's Taste of Lisle Chamber and Business Expo Saturday.

This year, about nine area food vendors, including Allgauers, Braconi's Restaurant and Pizzeria, Tastefully Simple and Traviata, will offer free food samplings. That's the most to ever participate, organizers say.

"It's a quite a variety," said Tom Althoff, president of the Lisle Area Chamber of Commerce.

Besides tasting food, visitors can sample the wares and services of about 100 area businesses at the expo. The event, sponsored by Benedictine University, also includes the fourth annual classic car show, a DJ and a magician and moon jump for children.

The Lisle Chamber of Commerce represents nearly 400 businesses in the area.

The Taste of Lisle expo tapered off after its creation in the 1980s, Althoff said. Organizers resurrected the event five years ago to bring back that exposure for local businesses.

"It's a way for (businesses) to advertise and present themselves to the general public, and a way for people to know about the businesses in the area," he said.

Mayor Joseph Broda said it's an opportunity to experience the best Lisle has to offer.

"Some of the residents may not have gone to some of those establishments, and they can get a taste of their goods and they may go back to them again," he said. "It's sampling the best that we have."

The event runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Benedictine University's Rice Center, Maple Avenue and College Road.

If you go

What: Taste of Lisle

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Rice Center at Benedictine University, Maple Avenue at College Road

Info: (630) 570-5071