Habitat for Humanity holds annual fundraiser, Taste of Southeast Ohio where local chefs showcase dishes.
Those in Southeast Ohio can attend a fundraiser where they can sample food from local restaurants, buy vacation excursions at an auction and dance to music Saturday.
Hosted by Habitat for Humanity, the annual Taste of Southeast Ohio at Hocking College is where local chefs will prepare tastings for ticket holders.
“Taste of Southeast Ohio started many years ago as Taste of Athens,” Amber Mendenhall, the director of community engagement at Habitat for Humanity Southeast Ohio, said. “It was a way for Habitat to showcase some of our local eateries in the area as a fundraiser. They can sample and then vote at the end on who has the best taste of Athens.”
Habitat for Humanity has expanded to seven other counties in Southeast Ohio, which is why they changed the name “Taste of Athens” to the “Taste of Southeast Ohio,” Mendenhall said.
“We didn’t want to change it a lot from what we’ve done last year,” Mendenhall said. “But we do have a longer happy hour type thing before. People will have a lot longer to go around to talk to the restaurants before tasting starts and also look at the silent auction items.”
The silent auction will have a variety of items. There will also be a live auction where different vacation packages will be auctioned off, Mendenhall said.
The money raised will go to all of Southeast Ohio Habitat for Humanity’s projects for the next year, she added.
Hilarie Burhans, co-owner of Salaam, which was last year’s winner, said the fundraiser is a great cause.
“It was really a great event,” Burhans said. “It’s gratifying to see how many people turn out for the event. They get to experience a lot of different foods. They get the power of voting for who they think should win, which is fun. They’ll see all of their friends, and it’s just a great evening out.”
Butterstick Bakery, a new restaurant in The Plains, is participating in Taste of Southeast Ohio for the first time this year. They will serve doughnuts, cupcakes and quiche at the event. Bill Justice, owner of Butterstick Bakery along with his wife, Suzanne, said because their restaurant is new, they hope to “get their name out there.”
“(The event is) a chance to experience what’s available here that you might not know about,” Justice said. “A lot of people are missing some real hidden gems in Southeast Ohio, not just our place, but there’s a lot of places that are small so they don’t have a giant advertising budget. (Going to Taste of Southeast Ohio is) a chance to be that person (who) finds that hidden place that you can take your friends to.”
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="2679b8ee-81b4-11e5-8cfd-97e5e2d6d870"}}
Remember Then, an oldies band, will perform during the fundraiser. Mendenhall said last year ticket holders danced to the music while also eating great food.
“This is a great way for people to get involved without having to swing a hammer, and you get to eat food,” Mendenhall said.
@jess_hillyeah
jh240314@ohio.edu
