A couple weeks ago, I had the great honor of accepting a spot as a culinary judge to A Tasteful Affair at the Four Season’s St. Louis. This was the 30th annual fundraising event to benefit Food Outreach, an incredible organization which provides nutritional support to low-income men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS or cancer.
This year, St. Louis Public Radio’s Geoffrey Burton and I embarked on the Broadway-themed affair to fill our stomachs with dishes from 20 tasty booths hosted by St. Louis’ top culinary minds and businesses.
From Four Seasons’ own chef Gian Nicola Colucci of Cielo to Cleveland-Heath in Edwardsville, Illinois, I could not believe the amount of talent our city has for flavors I got to try. We tested to award three categories: best savory, best sweet and best display. It was tough decision, but we eventually narrowed it down to STL’s Eleven Eleven Mississippi for their (Hamilton!) take on a colonial split pea soup topped with a smoked gouda crisp; a boozy Meet Me in St. Louie slush from Narwhal’s Crafted Urban Ice; and the lovely Grecian “Mamma Mia” display by Hidden Lake Winery.
Here’s a few pics from the event. I would highly recommend checking out these restaurants and especially heading to A Tasteful Affair 31 next year.