The annual spring Taste of the Nation dinner to fight childhood hunger is back.
The last fundraising dinner scheduled in Portland was in 2015, when a bad storm forced the cancellation of the event.
Taste of the Nation dinners, through both food and a silent auction, typically raised $150,000 to $200,000 for the national Share Our Strength program as well as local hunger prevention programs.
They were often held in beautiful spots outdoors, such as Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth and on Great Diamond Island, and dozens of Maine restaurants participated.
The dinners never rebounded after the storm, when howling winds and pouring rain washed out the event, although the local non-profit Full Plates Full Potential continued to raise money for the same cause.
This year, No Kid Hungry (part of Share Our Strength) plans to hold a new Taste of the Nation dinner from 7 to 9:30 p.m. March 15 at the Westin Portland Harborview hotel on High Street. General admission tickets are $95. VIP admission costs $175 and includes early admission, a separate VIP area of tastings and drinks, and a caviar tasting from Brown Trading Co.
Restaurants that have signed up so far are Earth at Hidden Pond in Kennebunk, Raleigh in Portsmouth, N.H., and Big Tree Hospitality, a restaurant group made up of Hugo’s and the Honey Paw in Portland and Eventide in Portland and Boston.
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