This past tuesday, eight hundred well-dressed men and women descended on the Metropolitan Pavilion for City Harvest’s annual fall charity event – Bid Against Hunger.

City Harvest started up 25 years ago as a non-profit volunteer program that delivers ready-made food to soup kitchens and shelters across New York City's five boroughs. The concept was the brainchild of a group of Manhattan locals who noticed that restaurants and delicatessens were throwing out perfectly good food at the end of each day. Since then, the organization has helped inspire similar projects across the globe.

As a newcomer to this fair city, I had previously never had the honor of attending one of City Harvest’s many annual charity events. From start to finish, last night was an experience I will not soon forget. 70 chefs from restaurants across the city laid out a smorgasbord of amuse bouche sized dishes for our consideration. I consider myself a foodie, although last night I was reduced to the mere level of a foodiot – my palate was awash with some of the most delicious sensations. The level of dedication that all of these great chefs have put into their work was clear from the sensory overload each morsel provided.

While most eyes were focused on the food, there was a smattering of nudged elbows and whispered ‘do you know who that is?!’ as celebrity chefs smiled for their guests and cooked up a storm. Even Le Bernadin executive chef and Food Network legend Eric Ripert found time to get behind the line, serving up a warm lobster potato salad and bacalao parfait with a smile and friendly word to all the admiring guests.

Now I’ve said it before; I have a great job. Yesterday my editor and I were invited to sample the new menu at Bill’s Bar & Burger. We both agreed, at the prompting of Scoop, our incredibly attentive server, that it would be rude not to ‘sample’ the menu. An hour later, both of us left feeling decidedly over-fed, and both in agreement to return as soon as possible.

So when I turned up at 6PM, only four hours after I had finished lunch, to spend the next few hours eating and drinking my way around a Valhalla-worthy banquet, I was decidedly apprehensive.

Bars were well situated throughout the venue, and Rye, the Brooklyn based restaurant and bar, were offering up a delicious gin and cucumber based cocktail. A perfect ‘palate-cleanser’ as I made my way around the venue.

There were too many dishes and restaurants to mention them all here, none of whom served a sub-par dish. The standard was exceptionally high, and the presentation of many was exquisite, despite being forced to prepare upwards of 1,000 dishes. However, there are few dishes which I feel must be mentioned. Craig Hopson, of Le Cirque, was offering up a thinly sliced Venison, served with a pistachio aioli and pomegranate seeds. One of my favorite dishes was one I had to be convinced to try. I was in far too hedonistic a state to realize that the affable and charming chef who convinced me to try his Orecchiette Alla Norcina was none other than Marc Murphy, whose Tribeca restaurant Landmarc has been an addiction of mine since my first venture to the city.

From oysters provided by Les Barnes of London Lennies (who was finally forced to ban me after my 5^th visit), to red velvet cupcakes from Billy’s, the event was perfectly catered, and appeared to run exceptionally smooth.

The success of such an event however, is measured not by journalists such as myself, whose criticism and praise will do nothing to help charity’s work, but by the private benefactors and philanthropists who donated and bid to raise the money needed. This years’ live auction alone raised over $200,000. The highest bid of the evening was for a wine tasting at Le Bernardin with its sommelier Aldo Sohm, followed by dinner for eight at Le Bernardin and a cooking class with Eric Ripert, which sold for $55,000.

Altogether, this years Bid Against Hunger raised $700,000, which will help organizers continue their work as they strive to feed 260,000 homeless New Yorkers every week. Indeed a very successful evening for a very worthy cause.