FORT MYERS, Fla.\u2014Our five senses can paint a journey defined by its uniqueness and community through mutual experience. Taste, sight, smell, touch, and sound are best joined together through the experience of eating.<\/p>\n
Locally, the five sense were put fully to the test thanks in part due to the Alliance of the Arts\u2019 \u201cFeast for the Senses.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second annual fundraiser event featured five Southwest Florida chefs, tasked with creating a menu tailored to each of the five senses, highlighting each sensation in great detail.<\/p>\n
How Did This Idea Become a Reality?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: Nicholas Karsen\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pamela Beckman, owner of BonSoiree Events and an Alliance board member, created the event after realizing that Fort Myers has plenty of talented chefs eager to showcase their skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was incubating this idea about having each chef cook that speaks to one of your senses,\u201d said Beckman. \u201cBecause you eat with all of them, but you don\u2019t think about them individually.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first Feast for the Sense, held in 2025, was a success for the Fort Myers art venue, selling out the event to foodies whose curiosities were piqued by the idea of putting their senses to the test.<\/p>\n
Putting the event together however was anything but smooth, as Beckman said several people\u2019s patience were tested due to having five chefs crammed into a classroom and preparing an event without access to proper kitchen tools.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: Nicholas Karsen\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re always bumping around and doing their own things,\u201d said Beckman. \u201cSo, for them to even meet and have them act as a team was a refreshing collaboration.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Beckman, some of the proceeds from the event will go toward the Alliance for the Arts\u2019 Mobile ArtLab program, an outreach program that gives students and homeschoolers in \u201cart deserts\u201d access to tools to express their artistic abilities\u2014ultimately giving the Southwest Florida community a scene to call its own.<\/p>\n
A Voyage Through the Senses<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: Nicholas Karsen\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roughly an hour into the event, patrons were seated in the main room, greeted by pieces created by local artists. Before the meal began, members of the Alliance for the Arts stood in the center of the room, thanking attendees for their participation and for providing people who lack the resources to develop their talents an opportunity to grow.<\/p>\n
The first course symbolically represented sound with \u201cMemories of Japan\u201d. The homage to Japanese culture by chef David Rashty began with audio recordings of his experience in Japan and the influences it inspired for his own cooking. Paired with Sakeberto Junmai Ginjo sake, the appetizer course consisted of seared tuna tataki, sesame tofu, Yuzu kosho-glazed wagyu beef, bamboo shoots, and matcha panna cotta.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: Nicholas Karsen\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sight took to the stage, presenting an eye-popping rigatoni meal inspired by artist Jackson Pollack.<\/p>\n
Chef Brad Kilgore’s menu dazzled attendees with a bright, meticulously decorated pasta entr\u00e9e featuring vodka diavolo, sesame truffle carbonara, basil cream, and a yellow pepper and saffron emulsion. Delicately placed within this course was rock shrimp and an almond chili crisp.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: Nicholas Karsen\u00a0<\/p>\n
When it comes to a meal, taste is presumably at the forefront, as chef Kristopher Jubinville previews his course with a packet containing an artist’s brush.<\/p>\n
The packet is labeled as a \u201cFlavor Palette\u201d, emulating an artist’s palette. Colors become flavors, as the packet reads: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami, and \u201ckokumi\u201d\u2014 an amalgamation of all the previous flavors.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: Nicholas Karsen\u00a0<\/p>\n
The brush is used to \u201cpaint\u201d on Jubinville\u2019s tea-smoked duck, paired with roast plum, pickled kohlrabi, cured yolk, charred radicchio, and a miso-black garlic jus.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Photo Credit: Nicholas Karsen || Brush placement: Tess Bernstein\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following an auction intermission, waiters flanked the room, giving each attendee a blindfold for the fourth course\u2014touch. By eliminating sight, our other senses become heightened, which was the goal of chef Ben Voisin\u2019s menu consisting of domestic lamb lollipop, celeriac puree, gremolata, mint gel, and Szechuan peppercorn jus.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: Nicholas Karsen\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, no meal is complete without dessert, as chef Taylor Polston\u2019s interpretation of smell rides on the whimsically named \u201cOrange blossom dawn: An aromatic carousel ride.\u201d Inspired by Florida\u2019s flagship fruit, this course consisted of orange blossom and vanilla mousse, a Grand Marnier almond sponge, orange blossom honey citrus sugar glass shards, crisp honeycomb tulle, and a tangy citrus gel.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: Nicholas Karsen\u00a0<\/p>\n
Did the Event Stick the Landing?<\/p>\n
Following the final course, the evening began to wind down, with staff thanking attendees for their patronage and successfully capping the evening with full stomachs and happy experiences.<\/p>\n
Attendees Tess Bernstein and Sarah Mann, both in the art scene, complimented the event, saying the Alliance for the Arts has a promising future if it continues to hold experiences like Feast for the Senses.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: Nicholas Karsen\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s fun to be a part of this growing art culture in Fort Myers,\u201d said Mann. \u201cWhen I told my friends that I was going to a charity dinner, they were like \u2018Oh, that\u2019s so exciting.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about their favorite courses, Mann enjoyed Chef Kilgore’s \u201cRigatoni masterpiece ala Jackson Pollack\u201d, saying, \u201cIt was a fun use of colors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bernstein complimented Chef Voisin\u2019s \u201cSensual lamb lollipop\u201d, saying that the use of blindfolds added excitement to the course.<\/p>\n
\u201cNext time I eat a lamb chop, I\u2019ll wear a blindfold,\u201d Bernstein jokingly said. \u201cI sent a picture of myself and Sarah to my mom in the masks, unprompted, just to see what her reaction would be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bernstein, an artist and fashion designer from New York, appreciated the budding Fort Myers scene, noting that hidden gems were found through the Alliance\u2019s showcase.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not going to find \u2018good art\u2019 just from living in the big city; you have to search and go through what people are doing in the local scene,\u201d said Bernstein. \u201cWhen going out, I want to discover new artists, and I think the alliance accomplished that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes it more authentic,\u201d Mann added.<\/p>\n
Local Impact and a March to a Million Meals<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: WINK News, Harry Chapin Food Bank<\/p>\n
For the month of February, WINK News, along with the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida, holds its annual \u201cMarch to a Million\u201d campaign.<\/p>\n
Food insecurity is on the rise in our area, as many families rely on assistance to survive. Some of the proceeds from Feast for the Senses will be used to support culinary spaces \u201cenvisioned as a hub for culinary demonstrations, and children\u2019s classes.\u201d<\/p>\n
For people in need, stretching food is of great importance, and the tips learned can help families extend their supplies.<\/p>\n