Seven local chefs prepare dishes as appealing to the eyes as they are to the tongue during a tasting event held as part of the exhibit “Palette” at Salisbury University Art Galleries — Downtown Campus.

The event is scheduled 5-7 p.m. during the Salisbury Arts & Entertainment District’s monthly Third Friday event On February 21st. During that time, the chefs serve small tasting plates to all ticketed visitors. Afterward, the public is invited to view the chefs’ artistic creations, on display through 8 p.m.

Participating chefs include Whitney Davis, pastry chef at the Evolution Craft Brewing Company Public House; David Wells Jr.; Paul Suplee, assistant professor of culinary arts at Wor-Wic Community College; Patrick Fanning, owner/partner at Stoked and partner/chef at The High Spot, both in Cambridge, MD; Susan Weisengoff-Patt, owner and head baker at Cake Art; Kumi Suzuki, owner and head chef at Sushi De Kanpai; and Daniel Mears of Harmony of Taste in Salisbury, MD.

Vendors at the event include home brewer Michael Piorunski, who offers a smoked stout beer pairing; Main Roots Coffee, which offers a coffee pairing; Shawn Kotwica, a local Mixologist preparing innovative cocktails for the event; and Baywater Greens, providing micro greens for chefs.

Palette, the Exhibit

It’s often at the dinner table that we discuss the most difficult topics of our time. Food is a neutral vehicle spawning intense debates surrounding gender, race, culture, and other current political topics.

As another form of muse, food has been the passion of internationally renowned artists throughout the ages who have used it to celebrate life within their paintings, sculptures, photographs and videos.

In Palette, Salisbury University Art Galleries exhibits artworks by artists who use food as subject, material or content. From carefully contrived still-life paintings, to slow time based videos of ice sculptures melting, we invited artists to show us that our stomachs are not the limit.

The tasting event will be a one night only event, with proceeds funding the local chefs and the SU Art Galleries.

Tasting event: Third Friday, February 21, 2014. 5 -7 p.m.

Public reception: Third Friday, February 21, 2014 7-8 p.m.

Pre-sale tickets are $30 and can be bought in any of our galleries, online, or $35 tickets will be available the night of the event. Tickets can be purchased here.

For more information on the exhibition, chefs, or tickets please e-mail misage@salisbury.edu, call 410-548-2547, or visit the Facebook page.

The specifics of the tasting event:

Chefs from all over the Eastern Shore will make a culinary art piece to be on display from 5 – 8 p.m. Third Friday, February 21st. During the tasting event from 5-7 p.m., the chefs will serve small tasting plates to all ticked visitors. At the end of the night, after all the plates are away, we will open the event up to the public to view each chef’s display piece.

Palette artists include: Andi Fink, Betsy Frahm, Kira Greene, Anna Garner, Alyssa Hayes, Susan Holt, Jan Kirsh, Annell Livingston, Benjamin Madeska, Tim McCourt, Stacy Swinderski, Denise Stewart-Sanabria, Sarah Swist, David Willison, and Lea Wise-Surguy.