- November 23, 2024
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It seems fair to say that nobody went home hungry after leaving Men Who Cook & Brew on May 21.
Asolo Repertory Theatre’s annual end-of-season fundraising event at Mattison’s Bayside at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall attracted a large crowd of foodies and theatre-lovers alike, all of whom gathered to sip beer and sample dishes from 13 local celebrity chefs.
From southern classics like Paul Mattison’s seafood gumbo to Italian delights like Doug Cordier’s arancini di riso (Sicilian rice balls), there was something for every palate at the buffet-style dinner, which also featured merchandise sales and a live auction.
A unique staple of the dynamic annual event is the table decor contest, which was judged by Sarasota’s most popular social photographer, Cliff Roles. The competition required every table to envision and execute a design for their table settings and centerpiece, and Roles chose the rose-adorned Table 10 and Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s tulip-covered table 3 as flowery third place winners, the Freedom of the Press-themed table 8 for second place and table 12 and its masked New Orleans-themed decor for first place.
Another special touch was the cake auction, which was a bake sale that included homemade cakes by Veronica Brady (lemon bliss cake), Center Ring Cakes/Mara and Gena Cristiani (Belgian chocolate ganache cake), Asolo Repertory Theatre Managing Director Linda DiGabriele (rum cake), Judi Gallagher/Flavors + More (triple-layer hummingbird cake) and Deb Soffer (brownie and cookie dough ganache cupcakes).
Guests also got to enjoy live entertainment by cover band soulRcoaster and cast their vote for the best dish of the night — the first vote was free, and any beyond that cost them a donation to the Asolo.