Everything old is new again, and it’s a good thing. No one will want to miss out on attending the upcoming, re-vamped Taste of Tri-Lakes Cares.

In past years, participating restaurants created imaginative, culinary delights incorporating pre-selected ingredients typically offered at TLC food pantries. Sometimes these ingredients would verge on the unusual, such as dried seaweed, Sour Patch Kids candy, and jalapeño beef sticks. The results made for a tasting extravaganza of great fun and frivolity.

This year, participating local chefs will have the freedom to create and share their favorite recipes, using ingredients of their own choosing. Delectable samples will be available to please the palates of every event attendee. These talented chefs will have the opportunity to spotlight what they do best and showcase their own cuisine.

The evening event will be held on Wednesday, May 14 at the spacious Spruce Mountain Events in Larkspur. This drop-dead gorgeous venue is located at the foot of the front-range, on the grounds of a former cattle ranch. Ample parking, a cash-bar, handicapped accessibility, and a complementary charcuterie board for sampling tasty tidbits are all welcome amenities.

Around 15-18 restaurants will be participating this year, including neighborhood favorites Black Forest Bistro, My Neighbor Felix, Uva wine bar and The French Kitchen. Participants will have the opportunity to win the crowd favorite award, based on votes from attendees. This friendly competition to demonstrate culinary expertise will definitely heat up the good-natured rivalry among the chef participants.

It is expected that the 400 tickets to the event will quickly sell out. Here is the perfect way to spend a mellow spring evening in a bucolic setting, sampling amazing cuisine. A DJ will be featuring toe-tapping tunes all evening as guests mingle and socialize.

A mission moment is set to be presented by Raquel Garcia, Chief Innovation Officer of HardBeauty and Executive Director of the HardBeauty Foundation. Garcia will share her story about receiving essential support from TLC as her family struggled to get on their feet during hard times. Garcia has been able to move ahead and create the non-profit HardBeauty, an inclusive whole life recovery hub.

Chef Shane Lyons will present an important waste-not cooking demonstration incorporating typical food pantry ingredients. Lyons, who is a Colorado native, says that: “…with a bit of knowledge, a dash of elbow grease, and a sprinkle of creativity even the most seemingly undesirable bits can be turned into a delicious dish”.

Services and programs have been provided by TLC to northern El Paso County residents-in-need of the past 41 years. The goal of the nonprofit is stated in TLC’s mission statement: “We empower families and individuals to reach toward a better tomorrow”.

“With the ongoing de-commitment of federal support, the funding landscape for food pantries is dramatically changing,” TLC Director of Development and Planning Bill Lyons said. “This is happening at a time when the need for supplemental food and family stabilization programs are increasing at an alarming rate…with no relief in sight”.

Taste of Tri-Lakes Cares is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the non-profit.

“All proceeds generated by the event”, says Lyons, “will help make it possible for TLC to provide vital support to families in our community who are experiencing financial hardship”.