Sample This: PHS PHeaSt Benefit Joins Top Chefs with Top Crops

Sporting some recycled props  from the Flower Show (can anyone complain?) and some familiar faces (hello, Vetri), Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s third go-‘round of its cooks-meet-gardeners, City Harvest-supporting, dish-sampling PHeaSt benefit promises to be Philadelphia’s most delicious event.

To be specific: PHeaSt’s 2014 shake-up rakes in all of the region’s wine-lovers who, one might imagine, have felt a little left out all season with the amalgam of pop-up beer gardens. Courtesy of private donors and Fine Wine  & Good Spirits PHS has collected more than 100(!) bottles of wine as part of a giveaway – of everything from the $20 mid-shelf bottles you uncork for a Tuesday night, to the savory $300 bottle you keep for special occasions. But here’s the real kicker: A measly $20 – you know, the type of loose change patiently waiting in old pairs of pants — will grant you a pick from a selection of mystery wine bags, allowing the chance to snag the better bottle without shelling out hard-earned hundreds. (And don’t fret, beer and liquor lovers: Charlie was a sinner, Yards Brewing Company, Dad’s Hat Rye and Golia Vodka will all be on hand for your imbibing pleasure.)

But of course, the main event is always the food: This year’s sprawling food-sample lineup will be put together by (among others) folks from Market Street’s newly opened Bank and Bourbon, Ardmore’s Brulee Catering and Bakery, Peddler’s Village staple Buttonwood Grill, Campbell’s Place in Chestnut Hill and Main Line (and top-of-the-line!) contemporary French restaurant Ella’s American Bistro. Per usual, the region’s culinary talent will be married with fresh produce (sweet potatoes, pumpkins, kale, brussels sprouts — all the fixin’s) from Germantown Kitchen Garden, Southwark Queen Village Community Garden, Farm 51, Penn’s Agaston Urban Nutrition Initiative and more – all of which doubly serve as proof that Philly’s community gardens have grown to the point of being … well, ripe.

And in the spirit of democracy, guests can vote all night long (or at least until 10 p.m.) on which of the savory dishes did the best job of massaging their taste buds. Attendees will also be selected at random to receive a gift certificate to winning restaurants. (Translation: This event practically pays for itself.)

Oh, and there’s also the matter that this rough-luxe Navy Yard feast-turned-soiree has become – if you can stomach the label — a bit of a Philadelphia “who’s who.”  Just ask HughE.

Friday, Oct. 17, 7-10 p.m., $150-$300, PHS Warehouse at the Navy Yard, 5201 S. 13^th St.