North Tahoe Business Association is gearing up for the 8th Annual Passport to Dining, North Tahoe’s most affordable all-you-can-eat and drink event on Thursday, October 4, 2012, 6-9pm at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach.

The annual Passport to Dining has become a not-to-miss fall social event featuring generous samples of delicious food and beverages from 25+ restaurants, breweries, wineries and new this year distilleries.

This year's participants include Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Petra, Michael David Winery, The Rustic Lounge at Cedar Glen Lodge, Tahoe Moonshine Distillery, Las Panchitas, The Soule Domain, Tahoe Teas, CB's Pizza & Grill, Tahoe Blue Vodka, Conrad's Steaks, Chops & Seafood, The Grid Bar & Grill, Luchessi Winery, Spindleshanks and more!  More participants may be involved - please check www.northtahoebusiness.org calendar of events for updates.

“We are excited to have Tahoe Moonshine Distillery and Tahoe Blue Vodka participation this year, offering liquor tastings to attendees as well as food, beer and wine tastings,” says Ernie Dambach, North Tahoe Business Association Board president. “It should be a lot of fun.”

While attendees enjoy food tastings from around the world and beverages, they will be entertained by live music performed by local bluegrass band, The Wrinkle, as well as a raffle and auction with valuable items donated from area businesses.  The auction will include Northern California Getaway Packages, San Francisco Giants tickets and swag, a one-week timeshare vacation, and much, much more. See below for a current list of raffle and auction items as of September 26th.

“Passport to Dining is North Tahoe Business Association’s largest and most important fundraiser of the year,” says Joy Doyle, North Tahoe Business Association Executive Director. “Attendees are always excited about the Passport to Dining auction because they are able to pick up terrific items at a great value.”

Passport to Dining’s ongoing travel theme will be obvious this year, with restaurant participants featuring food from around the world with booths and staff decorated and dressed in attire representing their food’s country of origin. Passport to Dining attendees are encouraged to dress in attire representing countries from around the world.

Passport to Dining tickets are now on sale for $30 and are available online at www.northtahoebusiness.org or can be purchased at North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach, Tahoe City Visitors Center and the Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce. Day of Event tickets are $40.

 For more information or to purchase tickets by phone, call 530-546-9000 or visit www.NorthTahoeBusiness.org.

Passport to Dining is sponsored by the participating restaurants, breweries, wineries and distilleries. Passport to Dining media sponsors include Tahoe TV, Moonshine Ink, Sierra Sun, and The Weekly.

Passport to Dining Raffle and Auction Items as of Sept 26th

• Northern California Getaway Packages in Carmel, Santa Cruz, Mammoth, Sausalito, and Mendocino.
• San Francisco Giants tickets and swag.
• A one-week timeshare vacation

So far, businesses that made donations of $100+ to Passport to Dining include:

• Alpine Meadows
• Arctic Fox Jewelry Design
• Bank of the West - Kings Beach branch
• Bowl Incline
• Cal Neva Resort, Spa & Casino,
• CATT (Contractors Association of Truckee Tahoe)
• Cebolla Architecture
• Crystal Bay Club Casino, Steak & Lobster House
• DiNallo Designs
• Enviro Rents
• Ferrari’s Crown Resort
• Firelite Lodge
• Gate Keeper’s Museum
• Hennessey Heating & Air
• Hooked Up Sport Fishing
• Incline Spirits
• Joanne Neft & Laura Kenny, cookbook authors,
• K-Tahoe Radio
• Dr. Karen Kucharski
• Kathy McClelland
• Kings Beach Car Wash
• Lake Tahoe Snowmobiling
• Lake Tahoe Wellness Center
• Lakeview Threads
• Lone Buffalo Vineyards
• Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
• Mickey’s Big Mack Charters
• Mountain Home Cleaning
• Mourelatos Lakeshore Resort
• North Lake Tahoe Resort Association
• Phyllis Adams
• PrintArt/Sierra Mail
• Rainbow Doorways
• Rainbow Printing
• Red Wolf Lakeside Lodge
• Resort at Squaw Creek
• Rockwood Tree Service
• Rookies Sports Bar & Grill
• Rubicon Pizza
• San Francisco Giants
• Shooting Star Bed & Breakfast
• Sierra at Tahoe Resort
• Sierra Bliss Skin Care
• Sierra Country Tires & Automotive
• SnowFest
• Palisades Tahoe
• Palisades Tahoe Lodge
• Steamer’s Beach Side Bar & Oven
• Sugar Pine Gifts
• Taco Bell - Kings Beach location
• Tahoe Bears
• Tahoe Biltmore
• Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area
• Tahoe Dave’s Skis & Boards
• Tahoe Moonshine Distillery
• Tahoe Mountain Sports
• Tahoe Paddle & Oar
• Tahoe Pilates Company
• Tahoe Quarterly
• Tahoe SAFE Alliance
• Tahoe Tech Group
• Tahoe Truckee Wine Club
• Tahoe Twisters
• The Aloha Ski Spa Tahoe
• The Rustic Lounge at Cedar Glen Lodge
• TNT-TMA
• Transformations Lake Tahoe
• Village Ace Hardware
• Watermans Landing