So much to Crave

The second annual Crave Food and Drink Celebration came to a close Sunday.

More than 50 chefs from around the region – and country – came to the sophomore Crave fest, created by local restaurateur and chef Adam Hegsted. He worked in partnership with Newman Lake-based Vision Marketing to organize the event, held at the CenterPlace Regional Event Center.

Felipe and June Hernandez shared their James Beard Foundation Award-winning Los Hernandez Tamales, a staple of the Yakima Valley since 1990.

That was a highlight.

So was the summer chicken from Seattle’s Aarthi Sampath, who won “Chopped” in 2016 and recently bested Bobby Flay on his own show, “Beat Bobby Flay.”

Mark Singson, the runner-up on the latest season of “Top Chef Canada,” made a “Whopper Tartare,” or beef tartare with a gentle smokiness.

And Tu David Phu, named by the San Francisco Chronicle as a Rising Star Chef in 2017 and a recent contestant on “Top Chef,” prepared sweet potato tartare.

The four-day festival featured four themed walk-around tasting events: Thursday’s Seafood Bash, Friday’s Foods from Around the World, Saturday’s Fire and Smoke, and Sunday’s brunch.

And there was lots to sample.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Second Harvest and Spokane Valley Partners as well as the nonprofit JAKT Foundation, which hosts the Crave festival. Its mission is “making events focused on chefs and cultural celebration in the Intermountain Northwest while partnering and highlighting the Spokane Valley’s vibrant and healthy community.”

Here’s a look at some of the festival highlights.