The Rotary Club of Ojai Produces the 25th Annual Taste of Ojai Event in October 2025
SPOTLIGHT ON A SPONSOR
Food festivals are becoming more and more popular around the world, both as cultural experience and as a powerful community connector. But the Rotary Club of Ojai has been organizing the Taste of Ojai since 2000, long before the trend caught on.
We spoke with Leah Hecker, who does public relations for the Rotary Club of Ojai and helps with Taste of Ojai, to learn all about the history and tradition of the event. She researched her answers, in part, by speaking with many of the long-time members of the Rotary Club of Ojai. The following is our interview with her and some photos she shared with us.
Edible: Who are some of the people behind creating the event and bringing it all together?
Leah: Taste of Ojai is completely run by volunteers – and it is a LOT of work. Our current queen of Taste of Ojai is former Rotary president Deirdre Daly, who basically starts working on the next event the minute one year’s Taste of Ojai is over.
However, organizing Taste of Ojai comes with great perks: [The picture below] is Deirdre on a random afternoon when we spontaneously crashed one of our newest establishments in town—Taco Roma. We ran into the owner, who is just the nicest guy—very enthusiastic about being part of Taste of Ojai and giving back to the valley—and SO proud of his Mexican street food that he plied us with heaps of it right there on the spot.
And, that pride was justified! The crispy lamb tacos, elote corn and tuna tostada were amazing!
Although Deirdre Daly (and I, to a much lesser degree) are the leads on Taste of Ojai, when the date of the event approaches almost the entire Rotary Club of Ojai—73 people—gets involved, be it by setting up, selling tickets, making decorations, organizing the silent auction or so much more.
Edible: Where did the first one take place and where will it be this year?
Leah: For many years the event took place at the Ojai Valley Inn, but during the pandemic it moved to Libbey Park in the center of Ojai as an outdoor event, and that’s where it will take place again this year.
Edible: What was the original purpose of Taste of Ojai?
Leah: The event was cooked up (I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I can’t help myself) by Rotarian Gerry Kaplan who loved the idea of combining his loves of food and of helping others.
Edible: Can you tell us more about Rotary?
Leah: Rotary began in 1905 in Chicago, when a young lawyer named Paul Harris gathered three friends for a simple but actually quite radical idea: business people meeting not just to network, but to engage in community service and, by helping others, to build trust in their community and friendship among themselves. They rotated meetings between each other’s offices, hence the name Rotary.
What started with four guys discussing how to help others over lunch grew into a global movement with currently over 1.2 million members (plus 632,000 youth members) in 200 countries. There are around 35,000 Rotary clubs worldwide.
The Rotary Club of Ojai was founded May 24, 1948 by banker Val C. Eicher and has existed ever since. (See below for a list of all 18 founding members and their professions.)
(To be honest – it’s kind of hopeful to me that it grew to such a big organization – shows that there are a lot of people willing to help in the world. And the combination of doing good and having fun while doing it is also what drew me personally to become a member. )
Edible: What are some of the passion projects of the Rotary?
Leah: The Rotary Club of Ojai focuses on supporting education and community grants in the Ojai Valley (that’s not to say that we don’t have a few very neat international projects!) Last year we were able to give out educational scholarships of $162,000 to students of the valley, for four- and two-year college and trade school scholarships.
The community grants support things like food and support measures for neighbors who suddenly find themselves in hardship situations, e-bikes for young adults transitioning out of foster care that need transportation and much more. I would say we are very interested in the well-being of our valley, constantly thinking about what needs arise and directing our efforts to help.
Edible: What makes the Rotary special in Ojai?
Leah: Easy, one word: community. Well, actually—two words: nature and community.
Although Ojai is, in fact, not that far from Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, the valley feels remote and in its own little bubble, cradled by the mountains surrounding us.
The valley is connected to the land through the many farms and farmers, (who grow the most exceptional fruits and produce from our sun soaked fields and hills). In Ojai you really live with nature and you quickly realize to be humble and keep watch, both for signs of nature’s wrath as much as for its bounties with flavors that you won’t find anywhere else.
Maybe because we all are impacted by the nature surrounding us so much, we are all in this together. People here are kind and helpful. Ojai is small—tiny in fact—but it is overflowing with generosity.
Neighbors look out for one another, even if they aren’t friends; the fact that such a small place has over 300 registered non-profits tells you everything.
Edible: Who are some of the vendors/businesses participating in the Taste of Ojai event this year?
Leah: Every day more partners sign up, so I can’t give you the entire list at the moment, but one thing we are particularly happy about are the many new businesses that have decided to become part of Taste of Ojai this year.
The amount of interesting and exciting new places that have opened lately are creating quite a buzz—it feels as if the valley is exploding with gastronomic delights. We are thrilled about how many of the new business owners are excited to donate time and food to help the valley.
The Rochers at The Ranch House, a lovely young couple that is serving creative, fantastic fine dining in the lush gardens of The Ranch House, (it’s really excellent; I highly recommend!), will be debuting their ‘wild child’ T.I.N.P (This.Is.Not.Pizza) at Taste of Ojai.
Joplin’s, will be sharing their BBQ with a twist from Saw Naing, the chef of The Dutchess, and his wife Bridget.
Also participating will be the aforementioned Taco Roma ; new kid on the block Highly likely, a highly successful and beloved LA transplant; Ojai winemaker Side Street Wines; Ojai crafted beer from the Ojai Valley Brewery (their sumac infused Sugar bush beer is delightful!) and many more, (see here for the updated list: Event partners ).
See many of these new vendors mentioned in our fall 2025 issue here.
Edible: Can you tell us more about the charity that this event is supporting. Why should folks join in this support?
Leah: This event does not support one charity, it supports all charities of the Ojai Valley through The Rotary Club of Ojai’s community grants, which all Ojai Valley charities are eligible to apply for. If you love the Ojai Valley and want to see it and its inhabitants of all ages, sizes and colors thrive—come and support by eating great food.
Edible: What is the long term hope/goal for the Taste of Ojai events?
Leah: To be honest, Taste of Ojai is pretty great the way it is. It’s such a communal event for the foodies and the food producers of Ojai and beyond to meet and connect!
So, our goal is to simply increase our reach so that more lovers of good food, good deeds and community can enjoy the event.
Way before I ever became involved with Rotary, (or knew they had anything to do with Taste of Ojai), I looked forward to going every year. Doing good while stuffing yourself with really great food and chatting with the people making that food is such a satisfying experience!
Edible: What does the cost of the ticket cover?
Leah: One ticket gives you unlimited tastes from all of our vendors for the duration of the event.
Edible: Who should be coming to this event?
Leah: This event is for anyone who feels a connection to the Ojai Valley, whether you live here, visit often or simply love the spirit of this place.
It’s for food lovers who want to taste the best of what our valley has to offer, from fresh, local produce to the creativity of our chefs, and who want to experience the enthusiasm our partners have for their craft.
It’s for people who believe that coming together can also do good, supporting local causes, strengthening community ties, and making a difference while having fun.
And it’s for those who just want to spend a joyful day surrounded by nature, neighbors and new friends.
In short: if you love Ojai, love food, love giving back, and want to experience all of that in one afternoon, you belong here.
Edible: What is the best part of participating in this event for you?
Leah: To me, the real joy of Taste of Ojai is our event partners. Meeting them and working with them really is what makes all the work worthwhile. Listening to how they talk about their offerings, their passion and enthusiasm is very gratifying.
We have amazing people who have chosen the valley as their home, who pour their heart, ideas, and heritage into what they make, constantly trying to connect with their customers.
The offerings at Taste of Ojai represent so many deep relationships, from artisanal mezcal crafted by a husband-and-wife team to imaginative dishes dreamed up by local chefs in honor of their families, and friends working side by side, everybody puts so much thought into offering more than just a product.
What makes this event truly special is that you don’t just taste their craft, you get to meet the people behind it, hear their stories, and join them in giving back to the valley they call home. That spirit of connection is what makes Taste of Ojai unforgettable.
