The enticing aromas of several dishes and desserts by local chefs wafted through the new Student Union, calling its approximately 500 guests toward tables full of treats. The evening of mingling and good food was part of the 30th Annual Chefs Evening event, which offered many new sights and tasty tidbits to its attendees.
“Six months prior to the event we’re contacting restaurants, seeing if they’d like to be here,” said Tasha Cooper, the Assistant Director of Student Giving for the Office of Student Advancement and first time coordinator of Chefs Evening. “It’s a lot of pre-planning. This year we changed our location. We wanted to make sure we had enough room for everybody, so there was a lot of planning and meetings about if we could fit this many people.”
Chefs Evening took place on Saturday evening in the new Student Union Ballroom and was one of the first major events held in the new space.
“I’m really excited for the opportunities that this facility in general is being able to generate for the university,” said Jonathan Ambrose, director of the Student Union. “The ballroom itself grabs the attention of anybody that walks into it, so I think it’s a great amenity to this new Student Union addition. Being able to host events like Chefs Evening and bring that to the center of campus is just great.”  
According to Cooper, planning for Chefs Evening began immediately after the event last spring. Although in the past the event had been held at either the Alumni Center or in the Pennington Student Activity Center, the change of location to the new Student Union Ballroom was not officially decided until closer to the event.
“I think [the ballroom] uplifts the event,” said Cooper. “It brings a little bit more elegance to the event, and I’m so proud that we can showcase something so beautiful that we have on Southeastern’s campus. Hopefully it will bring more people back to Southeastern, and we’ll be able to use this facility for whether it’s weddings or community events. Once they see this ballroom, they’ll want to be a part of it.”
The event brought out restaurants that have participated for years and restaurants that were newcomers to the occasion. Maggie Sandage, who graduated from Southeastern in 2009, worked a table for The Chocolate Vine, who made their first Chefs Evening appearance this year.
“I’m friends with one of the girls coordinating it,” said Sandage. “She asked us if we’d like to be a part of it, and we said absolutely. [We’re offering] cream cheese brownies, strawberry dream cupcakes and wedding cake cupcakes, and then we’re pouring pino noir and chardonnay. [We’re hoping for] exposure and to get some people out to visit us in Ponchatoula.”
Other businesses such as Trey Yuen and Eddie’s Frozen Custard made their return to the event. Trey Yuen has been involved with Chefs Evening since the first Chefs Evening 30 years ago, and Eddie McGhee has offered his Frozen Custard every year since 2007.
“We were invited, and we are so excited to be here to support Southeastern,” said McGhee. “We’ve done it every single year [since 2007]. It’s been a great success for us. We appreciate it, we’re glad to be here, and we’ll try to be here as long as we can.”
Of the many dishes and desserts available for sampling, everyone in attendance had a different favorite. Dennis Jordan of Hammond, who attends the event with his friends from George Ibert Jewelry Company every year, stated that his favorite dish this year was the Green Onion Grits and Elk Debris served by L’auberge Casino Hotel of Baton Rouge.
“We try to come every year,” said Jordan. “This is a great event. I really love the new venue here. It’s a beautiful venue. I really like the food that’s being served. I think the food is even better this year than it has been in the past.”
Each year those in attendance have the opportunity to bid on auction items and vote for their favorite main dish and dessert. This year the Steakhouse won Tasters’ Choice Best Dish for their Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls with Filet Mignon, and Yum Yum Bakery of Ponchatoula won Tasters’ Choice Best Dessert for their bread pudding, petitfors, cake balls and cupcakes.
Chefs Evening is a community support fundraiser for Southeastern academics and scholarships. Cooper thanks everyone in the community who has shown their support for Southeastern by either attending or volunteering to work Chefs Evening throughout the past 30 years.