Kazu Cuisine’s Chef Pom receives the Best Table Display Award for the 2009 Tastes of the Town event from Friends in Action Executive Director Sandy Camilletti. Photo by Daniel Friend/Chronicle

Friends in Action of the Eastern Panhandle already is in the planning stages for its 2010 Tastes and Sounds of the Town event, says the group’s new Executive Director Sandy Camilletti.

During the fall 2009 event, 18 restaurants from around the Panhandle participated, including Shepherdstown’s Kazu Cuisine Thai restaurant, the winner of the award for Best Table Display.

Camilletti presented Kazu’s Chef Pom with a plaque for his elaborate watermelon carving and fruit-and-vegetable artistry Dec. 10.

Kazu Manager Aaron Collins was glad to hear about the chef’s victory.

“He put a lot of work into it, and he’s excited to win the award,” Collins said.

Friends in Action raised about $15,000 this year from the event and looks forward to another successful year, Camilletti said.

“We’ll be having another Tastes of the Town, and it’ll be great to have everybody back,” she said. Taris Cafe of Berkeley Springs won the o

Friends in Action of the Eastern Panhandle is a goal and action oriented mentoring program that uses the power of friendship to bring about positive changes in the lives oflow-income families in the Eastern Panhandle. ?Founded in October 2004, Friends in Action is a network of people of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds whose common interest is to provide caring outreach to families in needin our community.

All proceeds from the 2009 event benefit the mentoring program of FIAEP, serving low income families throughout Jefferson and Berkeley Counties.

One graduate of the program, now attending Shepherd University, volunteered her time at the event, which was held at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center.

“Friends in Action helped my family become self-sufficient and I want to make sure that other families can receive the kind of support we received,” said Bethany Baddorf.

Sponsors for the event included: City National Bank; Prettyman Broadcasting; Shepherd University; Jo and Jimmy Powell; Geri and Larry Crawley-Woods; Charles Town Races and Slots; United Bank; Ken and Jantina Mann; Eden Design; Accurate Systems; Ours, Lawyer & Lewis, PLLC; Shepherdstown Sweet Shoppe; Rumsey Development Group

– For more information about how to participate in the Friends in Action Tastes and Sounds of the Town or to volunteer for FIAEP, call (304) 876-8500 or visit http://fiaep.wildapricot.org/