Jacksonville Annual Caring Chefs Event

Every year in October Jacksonville's assorted foodies and event seekers look forward to the Caring Chef's affair. This year more than two thousand people will be eagerly streaming into the Avenues Mall to sample cuisine from some of the top chefs in Jacksonville. A sixty-dollar ticket not only buys you food, drink and live entertainment, it also helps children. For twenty-three years, the Children's Home Society has been using this fundraiser to help First Coast families in need. It has raised almost two million dollars for this cause.

Over fifty of the Jacksonville area's best eateries will offer samples of their provisions. Slake your thirst at any of the fine wine stations. At least three bands in different sections of the mall will be there to entertain the crowd as they eat at the two and a half hour event.

Tips and tricks

If you're a first timer to the event, do make sure to pace yourself. Even though people dress well for the event, ladies should wear sensible shoes because most of eating is done standing up, and you'll want to move from booth to booth.

Even if you starve yourself all day in anticipation, you'll still never be able to eat at every booth. Any place you could normally afford should be passed up in favor of restaurants that you haven't tried.

Some tables will have longer lines (like Sticky Fingers) but you shouldn't waste your time waiting in them, simply move on to the next table. That way you can come back later when the line is shorter, or you'll be too full and happy to care. The idea is to try new things in small quantities.

If you've brought a friend, share your samples so you can taste a wider variety of food before you're over-stuffed.

Don't be afraid to ask a complete stranger what they're eating, if it looks good, but be prepared to exchange information when they ask you what you're eating or what you recommend so far.

Also, be brave enough to experiment with the order of your meal; lines at the Peterbrooke Chocolatier will be shorter at the very beginning of the evening because they serve what people consider to be a dessert item. Although there will be beer, wine and other beverage stations throughout the event, if you want the good stuff look for a specialty wine bar for the good vino.

To buy tickets visit the Children's Home Society of Florida website.