Among the typical gala circuit, there's a clear hierarchy in focus: first socialize, then make time to poke at the food.

But at the Central Market 10th anniversary gala, "2001-2011 A Delectable Decade: Celebrating 10 years of Foodie Love" the guests made it clear that on this occasion, the food came first.

Inside the mercifully air-conditioned tent, 10 of Houston's best chefs lined up to offer the 300-plus foodies their best wares. Philippe Schmit offered stuffed zucchini and a tasty miniature version of his restaurant's duck tamale, Kiran Verma of Kiran's set up a miniature buffet with biryani, a pungent mushroom soup and an incredible spinach and goat cheese samosa, Canopy's Claire Smith created a colorful and refreshing salad alongside the marquee chefs from Mockingbird Bistro, Zelko Bistro, Central Market, and the coming-soon Underbelly and L'Olivier Maison.

Judges Teresa Byrne-Dodge of My Table and Laurann Claridge of Paper City, along with contest-winning Central Market fan Marie Mann chose Randy Evans' and Haven's tender and flavorful redfish as their favorite, while the crowd vote favored Hugo's fall-off-the-bone quail alongside rice neatly shaped into pyramids.

The party had an informal feel as guests made their own paths to choose from the chefs as well as wine from Messina Hof, mixers by Republic Tequila, chocolates from Araya Artisan Chocolate and coffee creations by Java Pura. With plenty of Central Market honchos in the house (including director of specialty procurement Chris Bostad and Central Market senior vice president Stephen Butt) the event felt like a friendly family affair, with plenty of young faces and couples chatting (about the food, mostly) over the cocktail tables.

Once everyone had tasted and was fully sated, the atmosphere took a more lively turn, taking a lead from the band playing an upbeat mix of funk, pop and R&B. Before the sun went down, the gala raised money to support Foodways Texas. Hey, long live the foodies!