If an evening of mouth-watering food, tasty wine and unique performances was what you were craving, the Crave: Dining for Dignity event more than delivered.
More than 200 people attended the inaugural 撸奶社区Helping Hands Society (SHHS) fundraising event, sure to be the first of many years to come, according to co-organizer Maureen Mackell and numerous other guests.
"You know it's good when people are already talking about next year's event before the first one is over," said Mackell, referring to Bryan Raiser's uninterrupted glowing reviews throughout the night.
Live art, delicious aromas and fancy attire greeted every guest who stepped in the door, and the backdrop of deep red train cars at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park's CN Roundhouse and Conference Centre set the scene's classy atmosphere.
"Success, success, success," said Mackell. "It was a success on all fronts - financially, community-wise and in raising awareness."
SHHS, the beneficiary and host society, had a booth set up serving SHHS's Rick McKinney's delicious shitake mushroom salad, Jackson Triggs Viognier wine and smiles all round.
Entertainment ranged from local belly dancers performing in their vibrant costumes to Celtic music and dancing with young 撸奶社区musician Jocelyn Pettit and her band.
"It's a great night and I'm glad I had the opportunity to be a part of it," said Pettit, flushed from getting the well-dressed crowd foot stomping and clapping along to various songs.
Local artist Nathan French began his masterpiece in the early afternoon while SHHS volunteers set the scene for the evening event, and he didn't finish until the last guest left the building.
Bold, vivid colours made the piece an immediate draw to the guests who stood and watched as French turned a blank canvas into art.
"This is my first time with live art," French said. "I truly enjoy it because it's such a unique atmosphere and as an abstract artist, I'm always inspired by what's going on around me."
French's piece sold for more than $400 and local artist Ken Scota also auctioned off two pieces of artwork for about $600. All proceeds go to SHHS.
Co-organizer Nancy Hamilton expressed her excitement about the great response from the chefs and the wine tasters.
"The chefs really rose to the occasion and came up with these fantastic creative dishes," she said, adding that many guests had the opportunity to taste new dishes.
"I definitely tried some food that I wouldn't normally have tried," Raiser said. "When you go to a restaurant sometimes you want to try something new but then you have to commit to a full dish - so getting to have a little taste of it was perfect.
"It was great for businesses to showcase what they have to offer."
After the event, Diamond Head Fish Market advertised its Crave tasters on Facebook.
"Come visit us and try our tiger prawns that we showcased at CRAVE!" the fish market wrote. "What an awesome event and it was wonderful to meet all of you who attended."
Overall the general consensus was positively glowing.
"I thought it was amazing, especially for an inaugural event," Raiser said. "I've put on many events, I've been to many events and this was phenomenal - it was a great turnout, the railway museum looked fantastic and it was a great cause."
SHHS president Patricia Heintzman reiterated the belief behind the cause and reminded the guests how lucky they were to attend.
"We at Helping Hands believe that healthy food and safe shelter are basic human rights," she said.
"So while you experience our local chefs' exquisite gastronomic creations carefully paired with some of B.C.'s best wines, please think about how lucky we all are to be able to enjoy the finer things in life and how difficult it is for some people to even conceive of such promise."
