Connection to the Senses: Art venue fundraiser dinner aims to provide creative outlets in Southwest Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla.—Our five senses can paint a journey defined by its uniqueness and community through mutual experience. Taste, sight, smell, touch, and sound are best joined together through the experience of eating.

Locally, the five sense were put fully to the test thanks in part due to the Alliance of the Arts’ “Feast for the Senses.”

The second annual fundraiser event featured five Southwest Florida chefs, tasked with creating a menu tailored to each of the five senses, highlighting each sensation in great detail.

How Did This Idea Become a Reality?

Pamela Beckman, owner of BonSoiree Events and an Alliance board member, created the event after realizing that Fort Myers has plenty of talented chefs eager to showcase their skills.

“I was incubating this idea about having each chef cook that speaks to one of your senses,” said Beckman. “Because you eat with all of them, but you don’t think about them individually.”

The first Feast for the Sense, held in 2025, was a success for the Fort Myers art venue, selling out the event to foodies whose curiosities were piqued by the idea of putting their senses to the test.

Putting the event together however was anything but smooth, as Beckman said several people’s patience were tested due to having five chefs crammed into a classroom and preparing an event without access to proper kitchen tools.

“They’re always bumping around and doing their own things,” said Beckman. “So, for them to even meet and have them act as a team was a refreshing collaboration.”

According to Beckman, some of the proceeds from the event will go toward the Alliance for the Arts’ Mobile ArtLab program, an outreach program that gives students and homeschoolers in “art deserts” access to tools to express their artistic abilities—ultimately giving the Southwest Florida community a scene to call its own.

A Voyage Through the Senses

Roughly an hour into the event, patrons were seated in the main room, greeted by pieces created by local artists. Before the meal began, members of the Alliance for the Arts stood in the center of the room, thanking attendees for their participation and for providing people who lack the resources to develop their talents an opportunity to grow.

The first course symbolically represented sound with “Memories of Japan”. The homage to Japanese culture by chef David Rashty began with audio recordings of his experience in Japan and the influences it inspired for his own cooking. Paired with Sakeberto Junmai Ginjo sake, the appetizer course consisted of seared tuna tataki, sesame tofu, Yuzu kosho-glazed wagyu beef, bamboo shoots, and matcha panna cotta.

Sight took to the stage, presenting an eye-popping rigatoni meal inspired by artist Jackson Pollack.

Chef Brad Kilgore's menu dazzled attendees with a bright, meticulously decorated pasta entrée featuring vodka diavolo, sesame truffle carbonara, basil cream, and a yellow pepper and saffron emulsion. Delicately placed within this course was rock shrimp and an almond chili crisp.

When it comes to a meal, taste is presumably at the forefront, as chef Kristopher Jubinville previews his course with a packet containing an artist's brush.

The packet is labeled as a “Flavor Palette”, emulating an artist's palette. Colors become flavors, as the packet reads: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami, and “kokumi”— an amalgamation of all the previous flavors.

The brush is used to “paint” on Jubinville’s tea-smoked duck, paired with roast plum, pickled kohlrabi, cured yolk, charred radicchio, and a miso-black garlic jus.

Following an auction intermission, waiters flanked the room, giving each attendee a blindfold for the fourth course—touch. By eliminating sight, our other senses become heightened, which was the goal of chef Ben Voisin’s menu consisting of domestic lamb lollipop, celeriac puree, gremolata, mint gel, and Szechuan peppercorn jus.

Finally, no meal is complete without dessert, as chef Taylor Polston’s interpretation of smell rides on the whimsically named “Orange blossom dawn: An aromatic carousel ride.” Inspired by Florida’s flagship fruit, this course consisted of orange blossom and vanilla mousse, a Grand Marnier almond sponge, orange blossom honey citrus sugar glass shards, crisp honeycomb tulle, and a tangy citrus gel.

Did the Event Stick the Landing?

Following the final course, the evening began to wind down, with staff thanking attendees for their patronage and successfully capping the evening with full stomachs and happy experiences.

Attendees Tess Bernstein and Sarah Mann, both in the art scene, complimented the event, saying the Alliance for the Arts has a promising future if it continues to hold experiences like Feast for the Senses.

“It's fun to be a part of this growing art culture in Fort Myers,” said Mann. “When I told my friends that I was going to a charity dinner, they were like ‘Oh, that’s so exciting.’”

When asked about their favorite courses, Mann enjoyed Chef Kilgore's “Rigatoni masterpiece ala Jackson Pollack”, saying, “It was a fun use of colors.”

Bernstein complimented Chef Voisin’s “Sensual lamb lollipop”, saying that the use of blindfolds added excitement to the course.

“Next time I eat a lamb chop, I’ll wear a blindfold,” Bernstein jokingly said. “I sent a picture of myself and Sarah to my mom in the masks, unprompted, just to see what her reaction would be.”

Bernstein, an artist and fashion designer from New York, appreciated the budding Fort Myers scene, noting that hidden gems were found through the Alliance’s showcase.

“You’re not going to find ‘good art’ just from living in the big city; you have to search and go through what people are doing in the local scene,” said Bernstein. “When going out, I want to discover new artists, and I think the alliance accomplished that.”

“It makes it more authentic,” Mann added.

Local Impact and a March to a Million Meals

For the month of February, WINK News, along with the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida, holds its annual “March to a Million” campaign.

Food insecurity is on the rise in our area, as many families rely on assistance to survive. Some of the proceeds from Feast for the Senses will be used to support culinary spaces “envisioned as a hub for culinary demonstrations, and children’s classes.”

For people in need, stretching food is of great importance, and the tips learned can help families extend their supplies.

Click here for our WINK Feeds Families' March to a Million donation page.

In total, the Alliance for the Arts fundraised $59,000 to support the Fort Myers art venue—$17,000 of which will be used for the abovementioned mobile art lab program.

When asked if this event were to be held for a third year, both Mann and Bernstein enthusiastically said yes.

“If they do it again, then one hundred percent, I’ll be there,” said Mann.

“Absolutely,” Bernstein added. “I’ll be sure to fly in just for this event.”

For more information on the Alliance for the Arts, located 10091 McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers, click here.