Despite the threat of Hurricane Matthew, gourmands, fashionistas, patrons and well-wishers gathered on the lawns of Jamaica House last Friday for a worthy cause — to raise funds for the Heart Foundation of Jamaica’s mobile clinic at the 27th staging of the Simply: Red charity event. Held under the patronage of Prime Minister Andrew Holness in association with Fidelity Motors, and with formalities handled by media personality Emprezz Golding, the evening of gastronomical delights did not disappoint.

Aptly themed Flavour, Flair and Fashion, it attracted an impressive culinary roster of multi-award-winning caterers and chefs, notably Lorraine Fung, Jacqui Tyson, Gariel Ferguson, Theo Smith, entrepreneur-cum-chef Saleem Lazarus — whose delicious seafood chowder is cited as a reason for many to return year after year — as well as international chefs Ed Doyle, Steve Postal and Nicco Muratore, who coached the members of the Young Chef’s Club during the evening’s cook-off. With over 60 stations from which to indulge, patrons eagerly showed their appreciation for as many offerings as possible. The evening’s wines were poured courtesy of the Embassy of Chile. Dancehall reggae group Voicemail delivered a crowd-pleasing performance, which brought the evening’s proceedings to a satisfactory close. Page 2 Saturday brings you the highlights.