VIP Pensacola at the Sanders Beach Corrine Jones Community Center

photos & story by

 

Haley Bryant

 

T

he generous men and women of Pensacola stepped out 
to support PACE Center for Girls on April 8at the 6th 
annual fundraiser, Men Who Cook 2018.  

The PACE Center for Girls is a non-profi t 

organization that provides education programs for at-risk girls. 
PACE was founded in 1985 and has helped over 37,000 young 
women. 

Men Who Cook 2018 is one of 3 major fundraisers for the PACE 

Center for Girls. The men who participate are volunteers from the 
community with no culinary experience.  The Men Who Cook create 
a delicious, bite-sized treat for every guest to taste and vote for his or 

her favorite. Each participant buys his own ingredients and cooks his 
dish without any help from a lady. There were four categories: Land, 
Air, Sea, and Sweet Endings, with the overall people’s choice winner 
being a Sweet Ending (duh, who doesn’t love dessert!?) Attendees 
indulged on over 30 hand-crafted dishes and cocktails while listening 
to lovely music by Tommy and the Song Birds. 

Guests also participated in a silent auction, a live auction, and 

a wine wall drawing. All proceeds from Men Who Cook provide 
young girls of Pensacola with school supplies, clothes, meals, 
education programs, counseling, and so much more. 

John Merting, Robert Bender & Sheila Baxley

Mike Mangrum & Curt Morse

Denise Ables & Melissa Sidoti 

Clay Kinard & Rich Gafford

Connie Bookman, Victoria Mullet & Jennifer Fleming 

18    |    VIPPensacola.com

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4/25/18   4:39 PM