- May 2, 2024
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Aaron Kulzer puts the finishing touches on Mar Vista's braised brisket tacos as Paul Gold waits patiently.
Photo by Lesley DwyerPat Loy, Barbara Gurchiek, Jinny Johnson and Barb Kerwin
Photo by Lesley DwyerThe Resort at Longboat Key's smoked salmon tartare with dill yogurt and cucumber-caper relish
Photo by Lesley DwyerSusan Phillips and Steve Branham
Photo by Lesley DwyerTye Crain plates the braised rabbit with gnocchi and black truffles from The Chateau Anna Maria.
Photo by Lesley DwyerDonna Finney, Shelia Breetz and Debbi Mettlow
Photo by Lesley DwyerMike and Lyn Haycock
Photo by Lesley DwyerAndi Munzer, Debra Sauers and Kay Kochenderfer
Photo by Lesley DwyerRachel Hagan replenishes the sweets from Harry's Continental Kitchens as Debbi Mettlow takes a sample.
Photo by Lesley DwyerChef Raymond Arpke emcees the show.
Photo by Lesley DwyerSandi Love and Angela Bennina
Photo by Lesley DwyerCommissioners Deborah Murphy, Debra Williams, BJ Bishop, Penny Gold and past commissioner Sherry Dominick
Photo by Lesley DwyerCommissioner Mike Haycock, Mayor Ken Schneier, Commissioner Gary Coffin and Fire Chief Paul Dezzi
Photo by Lesley DwyerCommission-At-Large BJ Bishop is pretty in pink but made sure to include her favorite color black.
Courtesy photoCommissioner Mike Haycock can't get away with these pants at Town Hall.
Courtesy photoDistrict 4 Commission Debra Williams models for the Taste of the Keys Fashion Show on March 23.
Courtesy photoEx-commissioner Sherry Dominick looks at home on a runway.
Courtesy photoDistrict 1 Commissioner Gary Coffin models a flowered buttondown with white pants.
Courtesy photoDistrict 2 Commissioner Penny Gold struts the catwalk at the Longboat Key Club.
Courtesy photoFire Chief Paul Dezzi trades in his uniform for a more tropical look.
Courtesy photoThe Longboat Key Commissioners are a cast of colorful characters required to dull down in polo shirts and pantsuits at Town Hall, and poor Fire Chief Paul Dezzi is buttoned up in a uniform all day. So J. McLaughlin stepped in on March 23 to give them all a fresh look.
The annual Taste of the Keys Fashion Show is organized by the Longboat Key Garden Club, so it’s only fitting the fashions were flowery and colorful. The food didn’t disappoint either.
Food stations were set up by a dozen local restaurants in the Harbourside Ballroom at the Longboat Key Club.
“The restaurants have just been the most supportive. Everyone here tonight is a chef and/or a general manager,” Garden Club Second Vice President Lyn Haycock said. “The staples have been here every year for 12 years.”
The Chateau Anna Maria is only in its second year participating in the Taste, and Cafe L’Europe made a return after many years, under the new management of John and Amanda Horne. The staples included lobster bisque from Dry Dock Waterfront Grill and the 1905 salad from Columbia Restaurant.
This year’s event was the most well-attended yet with a line out the door at 6 p.m. to get in and nearly 300 attendees. There have been 12 others in person and one online.
There’s nothing new about seeing well-known residents walk in the show. Part of the charm is seeing someone like Chief Dezzi, out of his uniform and element, work the crowd in a pair of flamingo-print shorts.
“One year, we focused on the people we give grants and scholarships to, so all these people who were executive directors of organizations we gave grants to, we had them model,” Garden Club President Susan Phillips said. “The president of Longboat Key Turtle Watch, he was a model. The president of Save Our Seabirds, he was a model.”
The tie-in this year is that much of the money raised will benefit the new Town Center Green through the Garden Club’s beautification program. Past projects include the butterfly garden in Bicentennial Park and the flowering trees that line Gulf of Mexico Drive.
“The proceeds from this event will be used toward a legacy in what we develop for our community at the town center,” Phillips said.
