Celebrating the Local Community at Mt. Airy Gala

The Mount Airy neighborhood held a gala on April 1 to raise money for the community’s housing development and public school system, as well as celebrate ‘Community Champions’ for their contributions to the community.

Dinner consisted of a sampling of the community’s local restaurants and bakeries. One of my favorites was the chicken and andouille sausage jambalaya from Cresheim Valley Grain Exchange. It was rich in flavor from the smoky sausage, but wasn’t too heavy because of the balanced mix of grains. The beer and cheese soup with pretzel croutons from Earth Bread and Brewery also blew me away with its intense flavor. The pretzel croutons added the perfect amount of salt to the soup.

Dessert included delicious green tea cakes from High Point Cafe and incredible cupcakes from The Frosted Fox Cake Shop. I am normally not a cupcake fan because they are often dry and too sweet, but these were perfectly moist and frosted.

The gala felt particularly special because it was truly a celebration of the local community, from the items donated from the auction, to the favorite local restaurants featured, to the attendees themselves. Guests ranged from local politicians to parents with children in the school district. The attendees floated from table to table, talking to old friends and meeting new ones. It was fun to get to know the community from its local foods and accomplished locals. Overall, the night was a wonderful success!