LAYTON -- They stood in line for hospital food on Saturday at the Layton Commons Park.
Hospital food? What were they expecting, Jell-O on a stick?
Not exactly, said Executive Chef Alex Govern, whose food graces the daily menu at the Davis Medical Center.
Govern stood over sizzling chicken as people gathered at the park for the 13th annual "Taste of the Town."
Seventeen local food vendors signed up for the Davis Chamber of Commerce fundraiser, including a booth with cooks from the medical center.
"When I had a baby there, the food was good," said Wendy Wamphoff of Layton, as she stood in line with her family.
Govern said they were at the event not only to show off that hospital food could be good, but that their in-house bistro at the medical center could serve fine food as well as anybody.
Not far away, a rival smoked up the air with the smell of barbecue as Holy Smoke BBQ and Grill of Layton drew in a crowd early in the three-hour event.
"Low and slow," said cook Jeff Ray, when asked what his saucy secret might be at the Holy Smoke grill.
Admission was free. Chamber officials printed 14,000 tickets, used to pay for the food, for the annual affair, but worried they might run out.
"Our new ticket system has made a difference," said Jim Smith, Chamber president.
Each vendor was allowed to decide how much food they served per ticket, so people could redeem them for differing amounts of food at different booths.
So people bought the tickets in batches at $1 each.
"The ribs were awesome," Geneva Causey, of Brigham City, hollered at Ray as he cooked.
The band Red Shot Pony, whose drummer is a chamber board member, played a set of cover songs as people sat on the green grass with their food.
Dueling bakeries offered their sweets as the late afternoon sun rolled into a shady evening.
"I like the marshmallow brownies," said 11-year old Kaydra Costley as she dished out goods from the family store.
The Sugar Daisy Bakery of Kaysville has been in business six months and the Costley family had their three young girls, all wearing pink, dole out the bakery wares.
A taste of the town? Yup, one sweet cookie, one munch of a dinner, one catchy tune at a time.
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