The crew of Kokolita’s passed out samples of cupcakes and empanadas. Photos: Michele E. Buttelman.

The 28th annual Taste of the Town event attracted nearly 1,000 guests and volunteers – and more than 50 vendors – to benefit the Santa Clarita Child & Family Center on Sunday.

The fundraiser was held at the Mann Biomedical Park in Valencia. Guests sampled food and drink donated by An Indian Affaire, Angel City Brewery, Anheuser-Busch, Bake You Happy. Bella Cucina, Bergies Bar & Grill, BJ’s Restaurant, Clarice’s Cake & Candy, Castaic Lake Water Agency, Custom Caterers, Eat Real Cafe, Fireman’s Brew, Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Cafe, Hirsh-Cielo Farms, Honu Coffee, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Jasmine Thai Noodle ‘n BBQ, and Jersey Mike’s Subs.

Also: Jill’s Cake Creations, Kokolita’s, Kona Ice of Santa Clarita, Las Tias Chilean Restaurant, Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que, Lyfe Kitchen, Marston’s Restaurant, Nature’s Bakery, New Moon, Newhall Refinery, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nuggucciet Cellars, Olive Terrace Bar & Grill, Parashar’s Indian Kitchen, Persia Lounge & Restaurant, Pinot’s Palette, Plate Therapy, Pocock Brewing Company, Red Lobster, Rita’s Italian Ice and Rubio’s Restaurants.

Plus: Salt Creek Grille Catering & Events, Signal Wine Club, Sisley Italian Kitchen, Solita Tacos & Margaritas, Sweet Beams Ice Cream, The Paseo Club, TPC Valencia The Oaks Grille, Valencia Country Club, Vines Restaurant & Bar, Whole Foods, William Hill Estate Winery, Wolf Creek Restaurant Brewery, Wolf Creek Brewery and Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill.

Tickets cost $125 for VIP entry and seating, or $75 for advance-purchase general admission.

Alan Hayward, Janet and Apo Yessayan offer a champagne toast to guests who purchased a Diamond Drop raffle ticket.

The event featured silent and live auctions as well as the signature “Diamond Drop” drawing and Princess Cruises opportunity drawing.

Tickets for the latter cost $100 for a chance to win a Princess Cruises premium vacation package valued at $5,500. Two hundred tickets were sold.

Apo Yessayan of Classic Designs Jewelry personally selected a more than 1-carat diamond that he hand-picked in Belgium and set in a pendant that also included smaller diamonds. Tickets cost $25 each, and guests also received a glass of champagne.

“This is the most fun event in town,” Yessayan said. “The minute the event ends I can’t wait until next year.”

Joyce Carson, chairwoman of the Child & Family Center Advisory Committee, said Taste of the Town made a special effort to recognize the Guardians of Hope donors.

Volunteer Fred Gruchalla hands out wine glasses.

“We have a special check-in for those donors, a special badge, plate and wine glass,” she said. “Guardians of Hope is a very special part of the Child & Family Center organization. It is way where we can help pay for services for children who might otherwise fall between the cracks.”

The Santa Clarita Child & Family Center is the only nonprofit community mental health clinic in the Santa Clarita Valley. The center offers mental health, behavioral and education services to children, adults and families.

Greg Amsler of Salt Creek Grille said his restaurant has participated in Taste of the Town for the past 18 years.

“We came to Taste of the Town about a month before we opened our restaurant in Valencia,” Amsler said. “We brought our food up from our Dana Point restaurant. It was very cold and windy.”

Amsler said he continues to support Taste of the Town because of the important work done by the Child & Family Center.

“We are happy to be here,” he said. “The work Child & Family Center does is now more important than ever.”

Lois Bauccio, President of Santa Clarita Child & Family Center Foundation, with Taste of the Town chairwomen Laina McFerren and Ginger LeVang.

Lois Bauccio, president and executive director of the Child & Family Center Foundation, recognized the three Top Chef sponsors of the event – Whitening Lightning, Bank of Santa Clarita and Gerard Cosmetics – by bringing the CEOs and other company officials on stage. Each company donated $10,000 for the Top Chef sponsorships.

Bauccio thanked the sponsors and presented each with a small gift.

Elizabeth Hopp, executive vice president of Bank of Santa Clarita, thanked the Child & Family Center for the work it does in the community.

“We might be in a very different position if we didn’t have this great organization helping families and children in crisis,” Hopp said. “Thank you so much for all you do.”

Jennifer Gerard, CEO of Whitening Lightning and Gerard Cosmetics, encouraged guests to help the Child & Family Center by bidding on the silent auction and “bidding against me in the live auction.”

Todd Tisdell of Pocock Brewery offered guests a taste of four different craft brews.

She also donated a Sand Canyon mansion party for 50 in the live auction.

“The kind of work done by the Child & Family Center is the kind of work that you don’t see,” Gerard said. “If a child has cancer, you can often see it, but you don’t know if a child is suicidal.”

The event was chaired by Laina McFerran and Ginger LeVang. Entertainment was provided by the Mark LeVang and Friends band.

Bauccio also thanked all of the sponsors and volunteers.

“We couldn’t do this event without them,” she said.

Bauccio said Taste of the Town is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Santa Clarita Child & Family Center, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

“The weather is beautiful today. It’s a great party, and we appreciate the support of the community and our vendors,” she said.

For more information about the Santa Clarita Child & Family Center, visit www.childfamilycenter.org.

Tamra Levine, Jennifer Chadwick and Greg Amsler of Salt Creek Grille offered up a savory bread pudding with bacon jam and bacon-wrapped shrimp.

Mark LeVang and Friends provided entertainment.