Auxiliary Finds Rx for Palates

More than 500 people converged on the Physician Care medical building in Brea on Sunday evening, but there was no emergency.

Instead of Blue Cross cards, the crowd presented tickets to the eighth “Taste of the Town” sponsored by the Junior Auxiliary of the Assistance League of Fullerton.

In front of the locked doors of the X-ray department, gastroenterology lab, outpatient surgery room and other facilities, 17 Fullerton-area restaurants and caterers had set up tables and hot plates to offer samples of their specialties.

“It is sort of an unusual place for something like this, isn’t it?” said Heather Cannaday, event chairwoman, as she stood outside the neurological laboratory. “The restaurant people thought so too, when we told them it would be held in an outpatient clinic this year. At least there are plenty of electrical outlets.”

Last year’s “Taste” took place in a tent, which left purveyors of hot food heavily dependent on their Sterno cans, she explained.

This year’s offerings included scampi, sizzling fajitas , Chinese aromatic chicken, sushi and an assortment of pasta dishes, pastry puffs, pates and desserts.

“This is window shopping on a grand scale,” John Sturman said as he waited in line for chicken in mushroom sauce.

“This is one event the husbands don’t mind going to,” auxiliary member Suzanne Johnson said. “It’s not stuffy; they don’t have to wear tuxes, and they get to eat a lot.”

Fullerton Mayor Dick Ackerman, whose wife, Linda, coordinated the first “Taste” in 1981, agreed. “I have to go to a lot of functions, but this is a fun one,” he said.

Proceeds from the $30-per-person event, estimated at around $15,000, will be used to support the auxiliary’s dental health program, now in its 16th year.

“We try to help the children who fall between the cracks,” said auxiliary chairman Corky Redmond. “And the cracks seem to be getting wider all the time. When families are having trouble paying the bills, the last thing they do is treat their children’s teeth,” she said. “Other things just have to come first. We target the children who are eligible for subsidized lunches but may not be eligible for Medi-Cal.”

Nearly 8,000 Fullerton children were screened under the program last year, Redmond said. The auxiliary paid for dental work for 50 local children. “The dentists agree to charge us half their usual rate, so that helps,” she said.

The auxiliary also provides dental education in the classroom and bilingual presentations on dental hygiene and nutrition for up to 400 parents each year.