The 30th edition of Taste! Central Florida, which took place last month at the Orlando World Center Marriott, raised $277,154 for its two beneficiaries, Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. The monies were raised through ticket sales and silent auction bids. Because most services, including the facility, were dontated, all of the proceeds will stay in the area to support childhood feeding programs.

The annual event, which had previously been known as Taste of the Nation, was held Sept. 14 in a sprawling ballroom of the attractions-area hotel. The main focus of the event is the collection of restaurants and local chefs who cook and serve their signature dishes to the roving guests.

Here are some of the highlights:

American Kitchen from B Resort served a delicious Chicken Pot Pie elevated with foie gras and black truffles.

Raglan Road’s Mark O’Neill served the tenderest pork cheeks with apples, smoked bacon and crumbles of pistachios. And by the way, the next Supper Club will be a Harvest Dinner with beer and ale pairings at Raglan Road on Oct. 17. Here are the details.

Primo at the JW Marriott Grand Lakes Orlando Resort had a delicious pasta dish featuring smoked chicken, English peas and mushrooms with casarecce pasta, topped with a bacon crumble.

For beverages, spirits outnumbered wine vendors by a lot. Cocktails are nice, but I miss having more fine wines to sample.

The event was nicely curated. I like that there is always a lot of room and always a nearby table to rest a plate and glass on while you nibble.

The only real disappointment is that there will likely be a 31st annual event next year, and more in the coming years, until childhood hunger is eradicated. Doesn’t look like that will happen anytime soon, so your continued support is important.

This year’s proceeds exceeded 2018’s by $25,000.