The Taste of Southeast Arkansas was more than just a fundraising event.
It was a creative dinner of many tastes made by southeast Arkansans for southeast Arkansans.
For starters, Chef Tim Wasson brought the shrimp egg foo yong. Chef Ebony Warfield give rice an extra kick with Charleston red risotto over gumbo and blackened grouper.
Chef Zack Thomas paired shrimp and grits with bacon, bringing morning tastes to sunset.
Sliders were on hand for those who just needed a little snack to hold them over. Or, maybe chef Jamie McAfee's succulent steak would do the trick.
For dessert, either Chef Amanda Embry's sweet corn profiterole with blueberry lemonade or Chef Jan Lewandowski's pumpkin cake with raspberry and rum -- it is fall, after all -- would hit the sweet spot and strike the most distinctive taste buds.
These were among the many courses a $50 ticket would entitle a guest to inside the Pine Bluff Country Club for Thursday's event, hosted by the Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Taste of Southeast Arkansas benefited the Jefferson County Young Professionals Network and their community service products.
Live music from the UAPB Jazz Combo filled the ballroom, and school Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander, along with his wife Veronica, were there to take it all in.
So were Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson.
"We're glad we were able to do this again," said Jamal Gordon, membership engagement member for the Chamber who oversees the Young Professionals Network. "I'm just glad it was back. It was great to see a big turnout within Pine Bluff and the diversity we had, from top tier to lower tier."