"Taste of Bloomfield" Coming to Oakeside April 15

The Oakeside is proud to announce the sixth annual Taste of Bloomfield on Sunday, April 15, from 4 - 6pm.  The fundraising event hosts between 15 and 20 area restaurants that supply tasty samplings of their daily menus.  It is a great way to try that restaurant in town that you have never gotten to visit!

Restaurants and food establishments slated to attend are: Senorita's, Salute, Spice Thai Cuisine, Calandra's, Brookdale ShopRite, Applegate Farms, Fitzgerald's, Forest Hill Field Club, Pan Dan Asian Cuisine, Mes Reves, Stamna, Greek Taverna, Dev's Jamacian, Cupa Cabana, Sweets Boutique and Aki Japanese Restaurant.

The Oakeside mansion, home to the Bloomfield Cultural Center since 1981, is a civic treasure that has long played an important role in the life of the community.  The 23-room home, originally known simply as “240”, after its Belleville Avenue address, was built in the colonial revival style in 1895 by the Oakes family, which operated a textile mill in Bloomfield from 1830 until 1945. The Oakes textile mill was famous for producing “Oakes Blue”, a material used for police, firefighter and Union soldier uniforms, and for the inaugural suit worn by President William McKinley.

In 1979, an agreement was reached between Jean Doswell Oakes and the Township of Bloomfield.  Upon Mrs. Oake's death, the house would be donated to the people of Bloomfield to become a cultural center and the surrounding property purchased by the township.  In 1980, the township took possession of the Oakes estate, and in 1981, it was listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, and the nonprofit organization, the Oakeside-Bloomfield Cultural Center, was established to preserve the site and to broaden popular appreciation of the arts.

The Oakeside Board of Trustees run and support the organization through fundraising events like Taste of Bloomfield.  Oakeside is open to the public and representatives provide free tours of the facility most weekdays.  

Tickets for Taste of Bloomfield are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.  Call 973-429-0960 to purchase tickets.

Come and see a part of Bloomfield's history while supporting the Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center!