A Taste of Orange
Saturday  /  May 2, 2026  /  3 - 7 pm

For two decades, the Taste of Orange has served up more than bites from local restaurants.  The event has dished out community impact.

Hosted by the Orange Blossoms Auxiliary, the annual tasting event is the signature fundraiser supporting the group’s philanthropic programs.  The Auxiliary operates under the umbrella of the Assistance League of Orange, itself part of the national Assistance League, but remains financially self-sustaining.

“We do our own fundraising and fund our own programs,” says Wendi Forrest, Chair of Taste of Orange.  “Every dollar made at Taste of Orange goes back to the community.”

Forrest, who joined Orange Blossoms in 2008, remembers her first Taste of Orange in 2009.  “We had around seven food vendors,” she says.

What began on a small patio between Assistance League buildings on South Orange Street has since expanded into a major culinary showcase.  Today, the event hosts more than 50 vendors, the maximum capacity for the parking lot where the event historically had been held.

This year marks the event’s 20th anniversary, and its biggest evolution yet.  For the first time, Taste of Orange will move to the Orange Plaza on Saturday, May 2, from 3 to 7 pm, as part of a new citywide collaboration called “Celebrate Orange.”

The weekend unites Taste of Orange with the May Parade, produced by the Orange Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and the Car Show hosted by the Orange Plaza Rotary.

“All the food is from Orange establishments,” Forrest says.  “We want anyone who comes to Taste of Orange to then go try the restaurants on their own.  We try to foster that win/win.”

Orange Blossom Bree Sandburg- Suarez is in her fourth year as restaurant director for the event, recruiting all the participating restaurants and breweries.  “We will have the entire Plaza roundabout area completely gated this year,” she says.  “It’s really exciting seeing it come together on the day of and seeing all of our hard work pay off.”

The combined weekend will close the Plaza to traffic, reduce costs through shared resources, and maximize fundraising returned to the community.

“Our whole goal within the three organizations is truly to make an event that is greater than the sum of our parts,” Forrest says.  “We want to raise all ships in our community in a very family-friendly, community celebration-oriented event.”

A longtime resident and mother of two, Forrest says her passion for the event is rooted in her love for the city itself.  “There’s something really special about our town,” she says.  “The number of times I run into people is so normal—it’s so Orange.  I think it says volumes that people don’t want to leave and have stayed and built the next generation.”

Orange Blossoms
124 South Orange St., Old Towne Orange, CA 92866  /  714-798-4729