Eat Around the World event raises funds for River Valley Health and Dental patients
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Farrington Place was filled with hungry community members ready to learn about, and taste, foods from other cultures with the common goal of raising funds for River Valley Health and Dental patients with unmet dental needs.
In all, the tasting event, which also featured live music, silent auctions and a cruise raffle, raised enough funds to provide enough care for approximately 200 new patients, according to Karla Sexton, River Valley Health and Dental compliance officer.
"It was a great turnout as we had about 170 tickets sold, which exceeded our expectations…the community really showed us that the interest in such an event was still strong," Sexton said.
Various local chefs from the American Rescue Workers, The Newsroom Grill and Spirits, Long Island Pizza, Tiger Lily Ghost Bistro, Sojourner Truth Ministries, Barrel 135 and Farrington Place each chose a country to represent for tasting. River Valley employees Allyson Bower and Melissa Barber also hosted a table to represent Mexico with treats from Qdoba.
There were two prizes given to chefs including the "People's Choice" and "Most Authentic" dish, which was judged by state Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, and The Taste editor of the Sun-Gazette.
Chef Dave Knight, of Farrington Place, who was the winner of the "People's Choice" award, represented Persia with dishes that he grew up eating.
"The recipes came from my grandmother and my mother," he said.
He provided taste testers with Kabob Koobideh in a sangak wrap, which is a combination of fresh beef and lamb with grilled tomato, white onion and mint, as well as a Bamieh, which Knight described as a Persian donut soaked in rose water and saffron honey.
"This is my version of good home cooking," he said.
Another dish that many taste testers raved about came from the family owned and operated Tiger Lily Ghost Bistro, who represented India with Chana Masala.
The plate is a North Indian curried dish made with chickpeas simmered in spicy onions, tomatoes and masala. It was also served with Basmati rice and two chutneys. The husband and wife team of David and Shaina Malkin also crafted two drinks, one being a chai with coconut milk. The fusion restaurant just recently opened and can be enjoyed out of the Pajama Factory.
"Everyone (at the event) has been so welcoming," Shaina said. "I was really excited about seeing others trying different foods from different cultures. I love fusion."
The American Rescue Workers chefs Mark Williams and Dawn Astin, who won the "Most Authentic" award, served a variety of Pennsylvania Dutch pumpkin treats including whoopie pies, traditional pies, cupcakes, gingersnaps and more. Taste testers continued to come back for more bites.
Other local favorites like Chef Kurt Kane of Long Island Pizza represented Italy by crafting a margherita pizza with salad and garlic knots. Kane was also the winner of the free 11-night Caribbean cruise that was donated to the event by Divergent Travel LLC.
Chef David Yost of Sojourner Truth Ministries provided Native American tastes of Three Sisters Soup, a traditional soup made with corn, squash and beans as well as a fried bread and berry compote. The soup was a hit amongst many of the taste testers.
The Newsroom Grill and Spirits chef Juan represented France with Coq au Vin, a traditional chicken braised with delicious flavors and spices as well as a special surprise appetizer featuring salmon. Tortilla chips served with pico de gallo, guacamole and seasoned chicken made by Qdoba represented the country of Mexico.
Many of the stations also provided taste testers with fun facts about the culture of the food they were serving.
"We sincerely appreciate the community's support of this event, and especially the sponsors and chefs that made the event a success," Sexton said.