Just $25 Friday night bought you a ticket to the favorite dishes of some of the best chefs in Natchez &045;&045; and a few visitors as well.

The Natchez Convention Center was crowded for the sold-out Taste of the River, the kickoff event for the Great River Road Food Festival, which continues today. Events are sold out for the rest of the weekend.

Organizers sold 450 tickets to the event, which featured such fare as fruit salad with cilantro from Comfort Suites in Vidalia, La., duck from High Cotton Catering, grits and grillades from Monmouth and white chocolate cheesecake from Edna’s Cake Creations.

Visiting chefs included Robert St. John of the Purple Parrot and Marty Cosgrove from K-Paul’s.

Among the familiar Natchez faces at the convention center were many visitors from out of town. The event was designed to help attract tourists, said Regina Charboneau, chairwoman of the festival.

&uot;The idea was to create something on a weekend when there isn’t anything going on,&uot; she said. &uot;We need the revenue at this time of year.&uot;

But the event, now in its third year, &uot;shows you can have a good event at any time of the year,&uot; Charboneau said.

Visitors to Natchez were impressed with what the city has to offer.

&uot;It’s got an old-world charm about it,&uot; said Joely Rogers, a Wiggins native who now lives in Dallas. She is a pastry chef who will be making her award winning chocolate beignets at Stanton Hall today.

&uot;What surprises most people when they come here is how cosmopolitan Natchez is,&uot; she said. &uot;The people are wonderful.&uot;

Stacey Norwood, assistant editor with a group of magazines in Birmingham, has been in the city since Wednesday preparing for a series of articles about the festival.

&uot;It’s as fun as New Orleans,&uot; she said of Natchez. &uot;And that’s saying a lot.&uot;

Rene Adams, who chaired the Friday night event with Melanie Archer, said teamwork made Taste of the River a success.

&uot;I want to say thank you to Natchez and the residents for supporting this event, and a big thank you to our vendors for making it possible,&uot; she said. &uot;This is what Natchez is all about &045;&045; showing off our best as a team.&uot;

The evening was also an occasion to celebrate a longtime contributor to Natchez’s tourism community. Adams honored Dot Clark, who is retiring as manager of the Carriage House after 23 years.

&uot;When you think about food in Natchez, you think of Dot Clark,&uot; Adams said. &uot;She’s the last one that taught all of us. She made a major mark on Natchez tourism, and she’s one of our crown jewels.&uot;

The Great River Road Food Festival continues today with a Biscuit Cookoff, a Garden District progressive lunch and beer tasting (and bocce ball) at Bowie’s Tavern. Tonight three antebellum houses &045;&045; Monmouth, Stanton Hall and Gloucester &045;&045; will be host to Great Chefs, Great Houses.