The Taste of Sound: A Recap

Amusé the band

On the evening of January 21, I joined the kind people at Tutta's Pizza to experience my first Taste of Sound experience. I had no idea was to come, other than some sort of amusement of all my senses.

I walked into a bustling room filled with musicians, cocktails, and noted a blindfold sitting atop my menu. My senses awoke that night to three of my favorite things: food, music, and art.

The Taste of Sound is an immersive experience that brings together each sense, while also peaking your intellectual curiosity with art in one corner, music front and center, and food on the table. All of these things have been planned and paired to complement one another, a beautiful symphony of the senses. Once the event began, I quickly swooned seeing the passion and the collective talent that were the refreshing heartbeat of this event.

The only thing cooler than the performance itself was also knowing the entertaining event is supporting a worthy cause. The event benefitted The Mohawk Militia Charity, which I was excited to learn provides non-GMO food & recipes to underprivileged families.

Theme of the night: Say "No" To GMO's

Amusé wowed from the first note. Singer Leslie Austin has a voice from the angels, and each musician impressed and thoroughly entertained. The band's name (pronouce it Am-you-zay) is a play on words, with a double meaning. Instantly I wondered if it was named from the French word amuse-bouche (a small appetizer that comes compliments of the chef at some dinners), which translates literally to 'to entertain the mouth'. It is named in part for that, but also because of the English word amuse, which is 'to entertain, or provide interesting & enjoyable occupation for someone’. The goal of their band is to accomplish both tasks, all at once. The band was started by Celebrity Chef Patrick Stark (of Cutthroat Kitchen & The Taste),with the goal to create the ultimate artistic experience. They definitely lead the crowd on a dining adventure in it's own, enchanting league. 

Amusé Performing

The talented artist who painted live during the Taste of Sound was Karen Foster.

Karen has been a scenic artist for film, tv, and theater for over 15 years. She's worked on films/set designs such as Sin City, Idiocracy, Fast Food Nation, and television shows such as Friday Night Lights & Prison Break. Karen has painted for clients such as the Perot Museum and the Chanel Métiers d'Art Show for Karl Lagerfeld.

Artist/Painter Karen Foster 

Pre-show happy hour cocktails were provided using sponsors SweetBeat vodka and SALT tequila.

Melinda's Sweetbeat Martinis lined up for consumption

Amarillo Bullfighter - Spicy and delicious

A specialty 4-course menu was crafted just for this event by Celebrity Chef Patrick Stark & Tutta's Owner Jeremy Scott.

Course 1: Melinda's Fire Roasted Chicken & Melinda's Mango-Jicama Slaw

Course 2: Blood Orange Rocket Salad

For me a major highlight of the evening was our "blind-tasting" course. Here is where the aforementioned blindfolds at each place setting came in handy. While I ate my first slice completely blind, which I will admit totally heightened all of my other senses and elevated the delicious flavors, I finished my pizza with eyes wide open. I may have snuck a slice or two onto my husband's plate, as he was the only person I saw in the room who truly ate this entire course with the blindfold on. This was an amazing course, but I had to save room for dessert.

Course 3: Tuttas Surf N' Turf Pie ~ Butter Poached Lobster, Petite Filet, Goat Cheese, Rosemary, Truffle-Honey, Fried Leeks, Lemon Beurre Blanc

4th course - The Grand Finale: Brandy Bread Pudding with Chantilly whipped cream 

To cap off the evening they auctioned off the painting shown above, and also a gift basked filled with Melinda's Hot Sauce goodies. It was hard to say goodbye, but I'm hoping they'll host another very soon.

I simply can't say enough about this amazing event. Food paired with music paired with art. If you're a lover of the arts, you just look them up. Thank you so much to Tutta's Pizza. Amuse the band, Mohawk Militia, and more for this Taste of Sound experience. Huge thanks to these companies who sponsored this event: SweetBeat Vodka, Cadillac, SALT Tequila, Askari OH LLC, PCV VRM Seeds Of Hope, Sysco Corporation, Community Beer Company, Melinda's Original Habanero Pepper Sauce, Crest Cadillac, & Chefs' Produce Company.

Melinda's Gift Basket, which was auctioned off at the end of the night