WHIGHAM — Residents from across Grady County gathered inside the Whigham Community Club on Saturday evening for the second annual Grady Grown farm to table dinner.

Using local ingredients harvested from across Grady County, culinary arts students from Cairo High School prepared a four-course meal for more than 80 guests.

The event, which was hosted by the Whigham Volunteer Community Council, raised $3,800 to beautify downtown Whigham.

“This is what Georgia is all about,” said state Rep. Darlene Taylor, who spoke during the dinner.

Taylor announced that she will be meeting with state Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black this week to talk about farmers and how they have been recovering since Hurricane Michael last year.

Without those farmers, Taylor said the event would have been impossible.

“Never have so many owed so much to so few as we owe our farmers,” she said.

Christy Bandy of Whigham Methodist Church opened the event by leading a prayer for local agricultural producers.

For the main course, guests had a choice between beef tenderloin medallions with mushroom orzo or pork skin-crusted chicken with roasted potatoes.

Dessert was a southern pecan pear tart topped with ice cream and powdered sugar.

Hors d’oeuvres included southern fried okra topped with hot sauce and blue cheese, barbecue corn muffins with slow-roasted pulled pork and a sweet pepper jelly crostini on a toasted baguette.

Guests were also treated to a salad consisting of microgreens with roasted potatoes, orzo, field peas, corn, tomatoes and onions dressed with a pecan truffle oil vinaigrette.

Trey Gainous, volunteer with the Whigham Volunteer Community Council, said it was the culinary arts students who were the star of the evening.

“The most important Grady-grown part of this event are those students back there making this wonderful food,” Gainous told those in attendance.

Aside from cooking the food, the students also crafted the menu, located the products grown in the county and created decorative table arrangements.

Before departing, Gainous asked the audience to continue investing in the youth of Grady County.

“I want our kids to realize that they can make a great living right here in this town and in our county,” Gainous said. “We have a ton to offer everyone.”