Evening with the Chefs isn’t new by any means — the collaborative tasting is in its 13th year. But this time around (next month, actually), 10 restaurants and one confectionary that call Tampa Bay home have committed to teaming up with local culinary students for the epicurean shindig.
Their partnership results in a selection of small bites that guests of Evening with the Chefs, presented by the Ryan Wells Foundation and scheduled for 6:30 to 10 p.m. May 11, are sure to happily down in one sitting at Clearwater Beach’s Sheraton Sand Key.
The participating students hail from Dixie Hollins High School, Lealman Innovation Academy, Northeast High School, Osceola High School, Tarpon Springs High School and Pinellas Technical College. As for the chefs, Chris Ponte (Cafe Ponte), Jeffrey Jew (Stillwaters Tavern), John Harris (Rusty’s Bistro), Doug Bebell (Mystic Fish), Scott Bebell (Guppy’s on the Beach), Mark Heimann (Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club), Tyson Grant (Parkshore Grill), Lee Aquino (Birch & Vine), and Justin Harry (RumFish Grill) — plus chief chocolate officer Bill Brown (William Dean Chocolates) and Island Way Grill — round out the bill.
Alongside the food, other festivities include libations, live music and both silent and live auctions.
Tickets cost $125 per person and can be purchased online in advance. Proceeds from the annual Evening with the Chefs help the Ryan Wells Foundation provide student scholarships for post-secondary education in hospitality and the culinary arts, as well as donations to programs at the aforementioned schools.
Recipients of the 2017 scholarship awards, which ranged from $7,000 to $13,000, represented four Pinellas County high schools: Dixie Hollins, Northeast, Osceola and Tarpon Springs. They’re now in their freshman year of college pursuing culinary arts or hospitality-related degrees.
This article appears in Apr 19-26, 2018.