Louisiana is known throughout the country for a number of things, the hospitality of its people, its many festivals and celebrations, and perhaps most widely for its food. This fact will be celebrated at the 11th annual Food Tasting Dinner Experience on Saturday, Jan. 26.

The event, which is hosted annually by the American Cancer Society, will be held at the American Legion Post 208 in Vinton from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will feature cuisine from around the world provided by local restaurants.

Tickets can be purchased in advance by phone at 337-433-5817 for $15 per person, or on the night of the event for $20.

“It’s always a very fun event, the people of Vinton are a fun crowd, and everyone just has a good time sampling all of the different foods,” American Cancer Society Community Representative for Calcasieu Parish Ariel Caraway said.

Caraway said that the event’s theme this year is “Reflections of Hope around the World,” which will be represented in the wide array of cuisine available.

“It’s set up like a buffet and it’s broken into four different categories. We’ll have our Asian section, an American and Cajun section, and Mexican and Italian sections. It’s really food from all around the world and these different cultures that are coming together for the same cause.”

“We have over 35 vendors supplying the food, everybody from Buffalo Wild Wings to CiCi’s Pizza, Le Peep Café, Hong Kong, Johnny Carino’s, McCalister’s, Papa John’s, Pitt Grill, Ryan’s and Texas Roadhouse,” she said.

Once the patrons have begun to finish sampling the delicious cuisine they will be treated to a live and silent auction with proceeds to benefit the American Cancer Society.

“For our live auction we have everything from golf clubs, barbeque pits, sacks of crawfish, wreaths, tools, and paintings. On the silent auction block we’ll have gift cards, blankets, cookbooks, jewelry and other different packages,” Caraway said.

All proceeds from ticket sales and the auctions will go to benefit the American Cancer Society.

“It’s a pretty big event and during it we are usually able to raise over $8,000 which goes towards research and the many different services that we provide for the community,” Caraway said.

(mgnonline.com)