I remember well those times as a child when an ample dose of persistence resulted in my father saying, "Okay, let's go out to eat tonight." My siblings and I anxiously piled into the family's wood paneled station wagon for the 30-minute drive to either Salt Lake City or Ogden to find a "decent" restaurant. There were some local burger and pizza places in Davis County, but "dining-out" for us back then meant leaving the county. It wasn't inconvenient in an era when gas was cheap, traffic was light, and time was somehow more plentiful. My, how things have changed!

Today there are more than 250 restaurants in Davis County. They range from the fastest food to the finest dining. Davis County boasts one of the nation's consistently top-rated Chinese restaurants, a charming Irish pub, an Indian Tandoori cafe, and several classic American diners, to name just a few of the dining options available between North Salt Lake and South Weber. There is enough variety to please every palate and every pocketbookÖeven old Pop's.

The restaurant industry not only provides great dining options to Davis County, it employs more than 7,000 people and contributes millions of dollars per year to the local economy. In recognition of all those tasty contributions, the Davis Chamber of Commerce's monthly focus for July is "Dining in Davis".

The key event for the month is the annual Taste of the Town celebration to be held Tuesday, July 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Layton Commons Park. The public is invited to sample terrific food from more than 20 local restaurants for just $6 per person.

"This is a great opportunity for local restaurant owners to showcase their best menu items and for Davis County diners to discover new and exciting places to eat," said Chamber Events Director Jeanie Shehan-Bosen. The Taste of the Town event will replace the Chamber's usual Monthly Luncheon for July.

The Davis Chamber will continue to promote local dining by holding bi-weekly networking luncheons throughout the summer. Businesses from one end of the county to the other are invited to send representatives to meet and trade leads with other businesses in a friendly and casual environment. The Davis Chamber networking luncheons will be held every Tuesday in July at Dream Dinners in Kaysville and every Wednesday at El Matador in Bountiful. Both weekly events begin at 11:15 a.m. for informal networking. Lunch and presentations begins at 11:30 a.m. Mortgage Consultant and Chamber member Mark Appelbaum serves as the facilitator at both locations. Chamber membership is not required to attend and the only cost is the price of the participant's lunch.

Contact the Davis Chamber at 801-593-2200 for more information about weekly networking luncheons and all other Chamber events.

The Davis Chamber staff is determined to personally promote the great food available in the county by dining in Davis as often as possible. It's a tough assignment, but somebody's got to do it. Won't you share a table with us?