CRANBERRY TWP — Several hundred people from around the region Monday night got a sampling of local fare in the same building where the defending Stanley Cup Champions are holding training camp.

The Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber hosted its annual Taste of Cranberry event in the lobby of the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.

The ticket sales and turnout Monday exceeded the anticipated headcount of 500, Chamber executive director Jim Boltz said.

Attendees crowded the building’s parking lot and made things a little tight in the building, he said.

Getting tours of the complex, which opened in August 2015, was part of the appeal.

“It’s a great place, you can tell by the response we’ve gotten,” Boltz said.

Twenty restaurants from the Cranberry area and multiple other businesses participated.

For newer restaurants, the event was a chance to get the word out about what they have to offer.

Donna Timko, owner of J. Gumbo’s on St. Francis Way in Cranberry, said her restaurant has been open for less than two months.

“This is a good way to get our name out and show everybody what great food we have,” Timko said.

J. Gumbo’s offers Cajun and Creole cuisine, something customers would be hard pressed to find elsewhere in Cranberry, she said.

Monday night they offered samples of five different dishes, including gumbo and crawfish étouffée.

Another relatively new restaurant highlighted at the event was The Training Table, the Lemieux Complex’s own cafe.

Geoff Straub, executive chef for the Pittsburgh Penguins, offered samples of grilled chicken salad and fruit smoothies.

“The idea is to emulate the type of meals that the Penguins would eat,” said Straub, who is the chef for both the team and the cafe.

Unlike a typical concession stand, the cafe does not have a deep-fryer and does not use any processed or packaged foods, he said.

Tracy Armstrong, a member of the chamber’s board of directors, said the event is a way for people to discover restaurants they had not tried.

“This is a way to get our community out and about and see what our restaurants have to offer. There are so many restaurants in Cranberry, some are located in more obscure areas and people don’t realize they exist,” she said.

Lynette and Bob Kramer of Economy, Beaver County, said they enjoyed the burgers from Pig Iron Public House, as well as checking out restaurants they had not visited before.

“There are definitely some restaurants I would try now that I didn’t know about,” Lynette said.

Jeff Laughlin of McCandless Township, Allegheny County, said his two children especially enjoyed the numerous restaurants that offered desserts, including Peace, Love and Little Donuts, which is located in Cranberry.

“The food was great, and you got a lot of quantity too,” he said.