Tickets on Sale Now for 35th Annual Barrett Havran Memorial Big Taste of Fort Worth

Online, February 20, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Tickets are now available for the 35th Annual Barrett Havran Memorial Big Taste of Fort Worth benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters and presented by The Dorothea Leonhardt Fund of the Communities Foundation of Texas, Andrea Harkins, Donor Advisor. For the past several years, all tickets have been sold out well before the event date. The event will be held on Sunday, March 30, 2014 at the Omni Fort Worth. Please visit www.BigTaste.org or contact 888.887.BIGS for reservations. Big Brothers Big Sisters is pleased to announce that the Governor of Texas Rick Perry and First Lady Anita Perry will serve as the Honorary Chairs of this year's premier food and wine event.

For over three decades, "Big Taste" has been a favorite of foodies and everyday diners who treasure the experience of a culinary tour of Tarrant County's finest restaurants; the event combines fine dining with premium wine sampling all under one roof.

Past winners and participants in the food portion of the evening include Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, Eddie V's Prime Seafood, Bob's Steak and Chop House, MICHAELS Restaurant and Ancho Chile Bar, and the 2013 Best of Big Taste winner Ruth's Chris Steak House. All proceeds of the event benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Barrett Martin Havran Little Steps Big Futures Program.

The impressive roster of participating restaurants is rivaled only by the wildly popular wine tasting portion of the evening. The VIP Wine Tasting presented by NovaCopy offers countless varieties of wines for sampling. The Main Tasting follows and offers a variety of petite menu selections from area restaurants ranging from prime beef tenderloin, smoked salmon, beer braised short ribs, hand-made tortellini, grilled fish tacos and much more. Dessert offerings are just as delectable with gourmet bundt cakes, bananas foster and more.

Winners of the event are selected by a panel of celebrity judges and by attendees. The "Best of Big Taste" award is the judges' choice for best overall food at the event. The "People's Choice Award" is determined by attendees who vote for their favorite restaurant via ballots. This year's celebrity judges will be Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead and Kim Halstead; Amy Kushnir, TV host at The Broadcast and Foodie at MyTexasToday.com; Louise Lamensdorf, Executive Chef of Bistro Louise Catering; Bob Ortegle, Fox Sports Southwest Announcer and former Voice of the Dallas Mavericks (1988-2011); Lisa Taylor, Host of Wake Up with the Wolf Show on 99.5 FM the Wolf. VIP Wine Judges are Samuel Jason Huerta, Pappas Brothers Steakhouse; Richard O'Neill, Jeroboam Distribution; Renie Steves, Owner of Cuisine Concepts; Ryan Tedder, Advanced Sommelier for Graileys Fine Wines.

The event is at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, 1300 Houston Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102. The Main Tasting portion of the evening begins at 6 p.m. and open seating tickets are $125 each. The VIP Wine Tasting is from 4:30 p.m-6 p.m. and that ticket price of $200 provides admission to both the VIP Wine Tasting and the Main Tasting. Musical entertainment will be provided by Trey and the Tritones, and the silent auction will feature unique and exclusive items. To make individual reservations, please visit www.BigTaste.org or contact 888.887.BIGS.

2014 Taste of Fort Worth Participants
American F&B
Billy Bob's Texas Honkey Tonk Kitchen
Blue Mesa Grill
Bob's Steak & Chop House
Bravo Cucina Italiana
Cafe Brazil
Cast Iron at the Omni Forth Worth
Chadra Mezza & Grill
City Kitchen Catering
Constellation Brands
Craggy Range Winery
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House
Del Frisco's Grille
Eddie V's Prime Seafood
Fireside Pies
Grace
Hacienda San Miguel
Hear, Hear! Distribution
Huneeus Vinters
La Cigale Wines
LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards
Little Red Wasp Kitchen + Bar
Llano Estacado Winery
Let's Eat
Max's Wine Dive Forth Worth
MICHAELSCUISINE Restaurant & Bar
Misa Imports
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Red Caboose Winery
Ridglea Country Club
Ruth's Chris Steak House
The Capital Grille - Fort Worth
The Grille at The Harbor on Possum Kingdom Lake
The Wild Mushroom Steak House & Lounge
The Wine Frog
The Wine Troop
Vision Cellars
Wrath Wines
Zodiac

About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring organization, holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as educational success; avoidance of risky behaviors; and higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships. Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and monitors and supports these one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course. The first-ever Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Outcomes Summary, released in 2012, substantiates that its mentoring programs have proven, positive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth, areas linked to high school graduation, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and college or job readiness.

Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity, often those of single or low-income households or families where a parent is incarcerated or serving in the military, with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. This mission has been the cornerstone of the organization's 85-year history. Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star serves over 30,000 children, volunteers and families through 20 offices and over 100 counties in Texas. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life - donate or volunteer at bbbstx.org.