Taste of the Keys blooms into 8th year

The Longboat Key Garden’s Club annual Taste of the Keys and Fashion looked to the future while reflecting on the past.

The club is embarking on its 50th year, so to celebrate, seven past presidents addressed the 300-person crowd on Jan. 23.

Jeremy Whatmough said when he looked in the crowd and mingled throughout the evening he saw old faces meeting new ones. Barbara Kerwin followed that up and said she has watched the club grow both in membership and in spirit.

“I feel that the garden club is a major force in the town of Longboat Key,” she said.

The garden club, which Kerwin said “is not your mama’s garden club,” primarily focuses on awarding grants and scholarships to local students and organizations focused on bettering the environment, which is what proceeds from the evening will benefit.

Some of these beneficiaries were present at the annual fashion show and modeled clothing  from Men’s Wearhouse and Michael’s on the Boulevard during the fashion show. From Hal Christensen who received money to attend summer camp as a kid to Rusty Chinnis who headed up the Sarasota Bay Watch and received a grant, the models at this year’s fashion show were past recipients who are working to help the future environment.

All the models were previous or current local residents, much like the restaurants that served signature dishes to the guests. Twelve restaurants, such as The Lazy Lobster and Harry’s Continental Kitchens were on hand to keep guests feeling full all night.

And while the evening was about food, fashion and fun, for the Garden Club members, it meant a bit more. As the past presidents continued to address the crowd, each one expressed how grateful they were for the club.

“I want to thank the club for giving me the best time of my life,” past president Susan Landau said to the crowd.