For a good cause: Best Friends Mentoring treats donors with annual benefit

More than 100 people indulged in various truffles and sips this weekend during A Chocolate Affair — the 12th annual benefit that helps at-risk youth in the area.

Hosted by Best Friends Mentoring Program, attendees came out on Saturday to Phat Fish Brewing in Dickinson, sampling from two local chefs’ sweet appetizers including the Northern Soul Chocolate collection from chef RubyAnn Stiegelmeier, who won People’s Choice Award of the night. Stiegelmeier featured her own savory truffles of Dulcey Vanilla Latte — a caramelized white chocolate with a coffee center — and Blanc Satin Limoncello, which is a white chocolate truffle containing a fresh lemon center.

The evening also featured wine tasting — a donation from Town & Country Liquor — to pair with the luscious originally crafted chocolates from the chefs. Intricate notes from a jazz band uttered in the background as guests mingled with one another over treats, in support of a good cause that helps Stark County and surrounding southwest North Dakota communities.

Katelyn Nguyen, the interim program coordinator at Best Friends Mentoring Program, noted that this event not only showcases local chefs but expands the organization capabilities to reach those in need.

“It just kind of allows us to do more with our program and to spend more time putting in research methods, because we don't just serve here in Dickinson, we also serve in outer lying counties. So it helps us help them as well,” Nguyen said.

Best Friends Mentoring Program is a Dickinson-based organization that provides mentors in communities across Stark County and other counties in southwest North Dakota such as Bowman, Glen Ullin and Hebron. The program also extends its services in schools to youth ages 6 to 16.

1/3: Chocolates by RubyAnn Stiegelmeier, of Dickinson, are showcased in a glass covering during A Chocolate Affair on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at Phat Fish Brewing. Stiegelmeier's chocolates won the People's Choice Award for the evening. (Jackie Jahfetson / The Dickinson Press)

2/3: An attendee of A Chocolate Affair indulges in a glass of wine Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at Phat Fish Brewing in Dickinson. (Jackie Jahfetson / The Dickinson Press)

3/3: A jazz band plays during A Chocolate Affair Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at Phat Fish Brewing in Dickinson. (Jackie Jahfetson / The Dickinson Press)