Belleville Library Officials Host 'Tasty' night

The Belleville Public Library’s Taste of Belleville drew a full house to sample specialty foods from Belleville and Nutley restaurants, while library officials honored two library volunteers for outstanding service.

Belleville Mayor Raymond Kimble presented Richard Yanuzzi, president of the Library Board of Trustees, with a township proclamation. The proclamation is in recognition of Yanuzzi’s selection as Trustee of the Year by the New Jersey Library Association, according to Joan Taub, Belleville Library director.

The event was held last month.

Another proclamation was presented to Margery Lordi, a Library Board trustee and president of the Friends of the Library. The award is given to the Friends of the Library, and Lordi accepted on the group's behalf. 

The Friends of the Library group has been named Library Champions from the state Library Association.  The Friends group and Yanuzzi receive the awards at the Library Convention in Atlantic City on June 5th. 

Taub said more than 150 again attended the event, and the food was better than ever.

“It’s was wonderful,” she said. “We’ve never had such a great variety  of food,” she said.

More than 30 restaurants participated. Some of them were American Bistro and in Nutley, along with Nanina’s In the Park and Bindi Desserts from Belleville, and no food went to waste.

“The leftovers were given over to the food pantry and soup kitchen (in the otherwise abandoned church at the corner of Washington Avenue and Joralemon Street),” Taub said.