Rain was falling down in light, steady streams; not a torrential downpour, not even enough to soak your hair, but just enough to keep the less adventurous souls inside for the day. Still, this did little to dampen spirits at the annual Taste of Cambridge event, and hundreds of guests gathered for an afternoon of food tasting and fun. The event was huge! Race Street was blocked off from nearly end to end to make way for musicians, visitors, and vendors. Across the board, these local restaurants made use of one or another low-impact means of running their business, whether it was relying on local produce markets for their food resources, or employing conscientious waste disposal methods.

Bistro Poplar: Dine-in French cuisine with an Eastern Shore flare. Chef Ian Campbell loves helping the community, and they buy their crabs from Hooper's Island which is down the road by the bay.

Gigi's Trattoria: A variety menu utilizing local organic produce. Fabulous crab gazpacho, even unique dishes like grilled leeks can be found on their menu. None of their dishes are fried, making this a healthy place to dine.

Ocean Odyssey and Choptank Oyster Co.: Tasty grilled oysters! This 3-generations-old restaurant gets their oysters from the Oyster Co. Tradition meets innovation at Ocean Odyssey, and they also make use of bread from local bakers. Once you've had a sandwich on that bread, there's no going back to the generic brand!

Water's Edge Grill: Guests formed a long line waiting to get at the amazing spicy crab tacos. What's their secret? Freshness! The tortillas were rolled and cilantro cut just that morning, and that's the way they work every day. It's all about being healthy. They also won best crabcake in Cambridge.

Jimie & Sook's: I've had their crabcake club sandwich, and it was fall-out-of –your–chair delicious! This establishment was started 1 ½ years ago by the young Amanda Bramble, who relied on donations from friends and family. Local residents also helped work the renovations which gave Jimmie & Sook's its fantastic atmosphere. Go community! They also get their beer from St. Michaels.

Mill Stream Farm: Tasty baked goods handmade by Jeanne Scott and Kelsey Hayman. Pumpkin roll, tiramisu roll, moist and sweet and only 12 gr. fat per slice (not that I'm too worried)! They send product to restaurants and shops around the area.

Kay's at the Airport: REAL homemade food, nothing processed. Hot roast beef soup, hot turkey soup, spiced perfectly. There's a big difference between soup from a can and soup made from scratch, as we tasted at Kay's. This is the perfect stop for country-cooking.

Clear View at Horn's Point: Fine dining, delicious crab cake. Drive your boat right up to the dock and join them for happy hour Mon-Fri! They also do weddings and special events.

Portside Restaurant: The crab dip... wow! Rich and creamy, it was judge's choice in crab dip four years in a row. Almost unchanged in 12 years, Portside has a rounded surf & turf menu.

Adding the finishing touches of fun to a great event were contests of crab-picking, watermelon-eating, and even hula-hooping, in which competitors would win money prizes. Rounding up the evening was live music by D'Vibe & Conga, leading a dance party with their folk-rock jazz-fusion rhythm. So, rainy day? No problem in Cambridge, MD!

Photography by Errol Webber. Written by Erik Yount.