Gulfport Chef's Table dining event is our community at its finest in so many ways

One thing we noticed in the great story by Lynn Taylor in The Gabber: wonderful community involvement. First of all, the happy fellow in the photo is Phil Rivenbark, head chef at Isabelle's, a fine restaurant in The Historic Peninsula Inn in Gulfport. Phil buys locally. He gets fresh veggies from Gulfport Produce and fish from Gulf Coast Seafood. Buying locally is such an important part of a vibrant community.

But there's more: Phil is joining with eight other Gulfport restaurants for a special event on Monday, October 3. Gulfport Chef's Table is a fine dining experience that will be staged along Beach Boulevard. Here's the thing: it's an event to help raise money for Community Action Stops Abuse (CASA), an organization that provides shelter and help for victims of domestic violence, a worthwhile cause indeed.

And then there's this: Veronica Champion became the owner of The Historic Peninsula Inn earlier this year and is settling in as a booster of the Gulfport community, not only in joining the team that put together the first Gulfport Chef's Table but also in noting the truth that Gulfport is a gastronome's paradise. She told The Gabber: "Someone could come to Gulfport seven days a week and not have the same experience because there is such a variety of wonderful restaurants.”

How delightful to be part of such a fine community.