For The Auxiliary’s 2018 Benefit, the goal was to create an evening where conversation, cuisine, and wellness could exist in the same room naturally — without ever feeling like a lecture.

Matters of the Heart: The Food and Heart Health Connection was a Top Chef-inspired evening that transformed heart health into an immersive culinary experience built around the energy and pacing of a live cooking competition show.

Throughout the evening, celebrity chefs prepared heart-healthy dishes live on stage while guests watched the process unfold in real time through large-screen projections and interviews led by a physician and television personality whose warmth kept the conversation lively, accessible, and deeply engaging.

As each course was prepared and served, discussions moved seamlessly between flavor and wellness — exploring the health benefits of ingredients like red wine and dark chocolate, along with approachable techniques for creating meals that support long-term heart health without sacrificing pleasure or celebration.

The experience intentionally blurred the line between educational program and sophisticated dinner party.

Guests weren’t simply listening to a conversation about wellness.

They were tasting it.