It was a food lover’s delight at last weekend’s 7th Annual Empty Bowl Project.
The fundraiser for the Bastrop County Emergency Food Pantry, held at Bastrop High School, had a high turnout of people who came to sample delights from Central Texas restaurants.
But it was also for a very good cause.
“We came here because we trying to help out the food pantry,” said Rachel Riffe, from Paige. “The money goes further here, by buying tickets, because the food pantry can take the money and buy foodstuffs in bulk.”
And what was Riffe sampling?
“This Italian vegetable I’m eating has everything in it,” Riffe said. “It’s really delicious.”
Adrene Bracewell had come from Elgin to help support the food pantry.
“It’s just a very good cause,” Bracewell said. “Anything we can do to help out the Bastrop County food pantry is worth it.”
Bracewell said of her potato soup, “It’s real tasty. And I tried some very good sausage soup.”
Some of the other popular delights included a Sopa Azteca con albondigas (Aztec soup with meatballs), made by caterer Libby Pulley. The delightful concoction contained meatballs of ground lamb in chicken broth with chile pasilla, chile ancho and tomato.
Besides the silent auction of wonderful works of art, there was plenty of entertainment, including music by Bastrop’s Academy Jazz Players.
Not to be outdone by the music, chef Teresa Human, who works food service for the Bastrop Independent School District, had her own running dialogue with customers she served.
“I’m an officially approved Cajun chef by the state,” Human joked as she served up a tasty gumbo soup. She was working with Lorri Ballard, also a BISD chef.
“The Empty Bowl project is all about feeding the hungry people all over our county,” Human said.