It may have been a Monday night, but with its massive, glowing columns, bejeweled, velour lounge chairs, and club music mix, the National Building Museum resembled a swanky Vegas hotel lobby.
The Taste of the Nation gala rendered the popular social space into more of a foodie science fair, where all of DC’s best culinary brains—from restaurants, to vineyards, to oyster farms and even appliance vendors—showed off their wares to nearly two thousand hungry guests (raising nearly $200,000 for the Share Our Strength campaign to end child hunger in America). Amidst the frenzy of a Master Chef showdown, a photo booth, a book signing, and a silent auction, Belga Café served bite-size Belgian waffles drizzled in chocolate; Firefly sampled its velvety fennel soup; Poste of Adams Morgan offered chicken liver pate; and Georgetown Cupcake went the whole nine yards with full-sized cupcakes in at least five different flavors.