It was one of those unusually cool days for August on this plot of land that was patented in 1666. There was a light breeze and a glistening of sun on the waters of the Ware River, making it smile as the doors of the “party barn” opened at White Hall Plantation, down Zanoni way.

Food from the Heart was started by homeowner Mari Ann Banks and her husband, the late Charles Banks, 15 years ago as a philanthropic enterprise to benefit Gloucester County’s food pantries.

Guests gathered for the first time since 2021 to learn about cooking and partake of what the chefs prepared. Two two-hour sessions saw the largest attendance ever.

Chef Phillip Platoni of Roanoke, a native Virginian with 25 years of culinary experience, took center stage. He works with US Food. Platoni demonstrated the wheres, whys, and hows on three different dishes, all of which had an Asian flair. Then guests enjoyed a sample. Asked why he had left the restaurant world and decided to go with US Foods, Phillip re...