LEWISTON – Good food and good company came together Monday night at the annual L-A March of Dimes Chefs Auction at the Ramada Conference Center.

Several hundred people enjoyed generous samples of signature dishes from about a dozen area chefs. The crowd ranged from individuals to groups at corporate tables. They were all there to support the March of Dimes in the evening’s silent and live auctions.

“We have been doing a culinary event for about 12 years,” said Judy Soucier, executive of the Lewiston March of Dimes office. “We started with a tasting format, went to a plated dinner, and this year we’ve come back to the original format.”

Soucier said there’s no particular fundraising goal, but it’s hoped the event will bring in between $20,000 and $30,000.

She also said the event has grown every year in every way. That includes the number of items donated for both the silent and the live auctions and the number of people who come to support the March of Dimes.

A chance to win a one-carat diamond raffled by Day’s Jewelry also was a highlight of the evening.

Mark Poulin, manager of the Day’s store in Auburn, said the company is a longtime March of Dimes supporter. The staff gets involved in all the event planning, he said, and the store had some special sale items at Monday night’s event with a percentage of proceeds going to the March of Dimes.

In addition to jewelry, electronic items, sporting goods and all kinds of gift certificates on the auction list, bidders also had a chance to buy some original art work. It was all created by a group of youngsters who were born prematurely.

They did paintings of colorful tropical birds, sea horses and sunflowers that were framed and displayed prior to going on the auction block.

Two of the “ambassadors” who provided sunflower paintings are Sylvia and Emily Schulze, daughters of David and Lisa Schulze of Lewiston.

Nine-year-old Sylvia, who weighed four pounds at birth, said she called her painting “Angry Sunflower” because she had other ideas for a subject but sunflower was the assignment.

Emily, who weighed 1 pound and 11 ounces at birth 11 years ago, said laundry detergent “and other stuff” went into her sunflower painting.

Deni Frederico, statewide March of Dimes ambassador, also attended. She was 15 ounces at birth and is now 8 years old.

She said she has two brothers.

One is in college, and the other is a twin who didn’t survive the premature birth.

Other young artists were Alec Beaudin, Colby Hamblin, Carly Jordan, Carter Jordan, Dylan Latham, Peyton Latham, Dennis Tufts and Levi Tufts.

Harold Holmes, owner of Holmes Auction Center of Skowhegan, has been the event’s auctioneer for the past five years.

“It’s all very well organized,” he said. “We’ve got great buyers and great items.”

Joey Graziano was master of ceremonies. His father, noted restaurateur Joe Graziano, who died a few years ago, had been a longtime volunteer for the March of Dimes events, and Soucier said the son “has stepped into the footprints and filled them very well.”

Food from Graziano’s Casa Mia restaurant in Lisbon also was featured.

Chefs’ dishes included Asian cuisine from Wei-Li Restaurant, strawberry crepes from Rolly’s Diner, seafood stew from Deschaies Lobster Salad and Seafood Products, crab stuffed mushrooms from The Carriage House, and pastries from Heather’s Bakery. Other items were offered by Cafe Bon Bon, Central Maine Community College Culinary Arts, Holly’s Own Deli and Wine Bar, and the Ramada Conference Center. Also listed as participants were Antonio’s New York Deli and Bakery, Dore’s Cafe, Nothing But the Blues Cafe and Margaritas Mexican Restaurant.