Savor the Season with the Taylor Haugen Foundation!

Fine wine and foodie fanatics, rejoice! Tickets are on sale now for the Emerald Coast’s premiere culinary event, the 9th Annual Savor the Season presented by the Taylor Haugen Foundation. This must-attend event will take place on Thursday, October 25, 2018, at the Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village in Destin, Florida, and VIE is honored to be a media sponsor for this incredible event.

Since its inception in 2009, Savor the Season has become known as one of the top culinary and wine events along the Emerald Coast. Over 800 attendees will line up at 6:30 p.m. to indulge in decadent food tastings and fine wine pairings overlooking the breathtaking views of the Destin Harbor from Emerald Grande’s Captain’s Deck. Eleven of the area’s top chefs will each present a uniquely crafted food and wine pairing for attendees to enjoy in a walkabout environment. Guests will also enjoy live entertainment by #1 Billboard Charting saxophonist Michael J. Thomas, exciting silent and live auctions, as well as a fine wine pull.

The lineup of culinary talent this year includes:

• Christopher Holbrook, Executive Chef at Signature Catering of 30A
• Ruston Johnson, Executive Chef at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
• Lee Guidry, Executive Chef of Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood
• Roberto Hernandez, Executive Chef at Pompano Joe’s Seafood House
• Heidi McAnulla, Chef at Bake My Day
• Mark Eichin, Executive Chef at Restaurant Paradis
• Dan Pettis, Owner and Executive Chef at One 20-A Modern Bistro
• Jimmy McManus, Executive Chef at Grande Vista Bar & Grill within The Emerald Grande
• Gary Palm, Executive Chef at Primrose Restaurant within The Henderson Beach Resort & Spa
• Orion Cordoves, Chef at Cuvee Kitchen + Bar
• Justin Componation, Executive Chef at The Gulf on Okaloosa Island

Brian and Kathy Haugen display the rib-protecting shirt that could have saved their son’s life. Now they dedicate funds from the Taylor Haugen Foundation to equipping young athletes with this and other protective gear. | Photo courtesy of Taylor Haugen Foundation

Each of the chefs’ unique courses will be perfectly paired with hand-selected wines, graciously provided by Southern Wine and Spirits. Local spirits purveyor, Timber Creek Distillery, will also be on hand sampling their hand-crafted whiskeys. Guests always look forward to the expansive silent auction and a thrilling live auction where they can bid on extravagant trips around the world, unique experiences, fishing trips, spa treatments and more. The exciting wine pull allows guests to randomly select a fine wine from the display and potentially walk away with a bottle worth hundreds of dollars.

Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased online at THFSavorTheSeason.org. Savor the Season is the biggest fund-raising event of the year for the Taylor Haugen Foundation, a local nonprofit that helps to build and recognize youth leaders and promote youth sports safety to honor the legacy of Taylor Haugen, a Niceville High School student athlete that tragically passed away in 2008 from an abdominal injury sustained in a football game. The funds go directly toward the foundation’s Youth Equipment for Sports Safety (YESS) program and providing scholarships for outstanding local student-athletes.

For information on sponsorship, contact THF8080@gmail.com or call 850-842-9093.

Taylor Haugen

For more information about Taylor Haugen Foundation, go to TaylorHaugen.org or find Taylor Haugen Foundation on Facebook and Instagram.