The annual Taste of Inverness is a night of food and wine sampling, artwork and music.

The event began in 2006 with the opening of the Inverness Government Center. In 2008, Taste of Inverness returned as a stand alone event, featuring 10 restaurants serving up everything from Cubans and pasta to ice cream and pizza.  More than 450 people attended the fundraiser for the Covenant Children's Home, enjoying food, bidding on silent auction items and listening to the Rick Dahlinger Trio perform on stage

In 2009, the City of Inverness found it necessary to postpone the Taste of Inverness until May 2010. Local restaurants and potential sponsors were troubled by the poor conditions of the economy and collectively did not think it prudent to proceed with the event plans.

The Taste of Inverness returned in 2010 with renewed optimism and a new partner, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Citrus County.

Building off the excitement and energy of the last one, the 2010 "Taste" featured three musical acts, 11 participating restaurants and businesses, wine tasting, a muscle car display and auction.

Eight area artists comprised an invitational art exhibit to showcase unique pieces tied to the event's theme, "Main Course on Main Street."

Anyone attending the fundraiser had a chance to vote in the People's Choice competition for four categories: best appetizer, best entree, best dessert and best presentation.

Elegant Catering and McLeod House Bistro won for best appetizer; Elegant Catering won for best entree; The Ice Cream Dr. won for best dessert, and Panetopia Restaurant & Bakery won for best presentation.

Food/hospitality:

B&W Rexall Restaurant
Citrus Memorial Health Center Food Services Division
Elegant Catering
Ice Cream Dr.
Joe's Family Restaurant
Mama's Kuntry Kitchen
McLeod House
Outback Steakhouse
Panetopia Restaurant & Bakery
Skoors Neighborhood Market
Two Sisters Parkside Restaurant

Wine provided by Time For Wine of Tampa.

Invitational art exhibit artitsts:

Jeannette Berndsen -- Berndsen loves to paint with oils. Her paintings reflect the fantasy and energy of her personality and celebrate the splendor of gardens, flowers and trees in a unique way called "graphic impressionism."

Marian Fox -- Marian has three degrees from the University of Florida, experience as an arts administrator, instructor in studio arts and humanities, and a long career as an artist/teacher.

Kandi Harper -- In an artist statement, Kandi says painting is about "the physical phenomenon of vision and the illumination provided by a miraculoous sun." Skyscapes, landscapes and cityscapes are all appealing. She recived a Bachelor of Arts in painting, with a minor in art history, from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
Lyn Novak Hise -- Schooled at the Art Institute of Chicago and working in graphics for many years, Lyn Novak-Hise creates 2D mixed media art on sheet copper.   

Susi LaForsch -- Susi is a fulltime artistr working from her Hernando studio. She has a recognizable style that utilizes body language, facial expression and a bold palette with borad strokes to communicate her message. She prefers using large acrylics on canvas. She earned a Associate in Arts degree with honors from Central Florida Community College in 1999, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors from the University of Florida School or Art and Art History in 2002.                                                                                                                                 

Connie Phillips -- Connie has a Bachelor of Science degree from Troy State University in Art Education and a National Board Certification in Young Adolescent Art. Some of her awards include Florida's Outstanding High School Art Educator of the Year in 1994, Lecanto High's Teacher of the Year in 1995, and Florida's Outstanding Art Educator of the Year in 2008.

Kim Shields -- Kim can often be found outdoors painting directly from nature, “en plein air”, trying to quickly capture the true effects of color and light that Citrus County’s natural settings offer.    Regardless of the subject matter, in the end, the real subject is “light”.  He always tries to capture the “effect of light” as it falls over the subject.

Michelle Wirt -- Michelle is a practicing artist, and Associate Professor of Art and Humanities at Central Florida Community College. She received a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Florida in 1989 She is currently working on a series of painted reliefs which explore textures simulating metal, stone, brick and wood.