For the money, last Friday’s Art of the pARTy fundraiser at the Atlantic Hotel in Berlin had to be one of the best deals around for area foodies.

Had another $20 been added to the ticket price of $49 and change, that still would have been a decent price for a 12-station buffet that featured outstanding creative fare from some of this area’s top kitchen magicians.

Add to that a dessert table so sinful that one might feel the need to go to confession the next morning, and that paints only a partial picture of what guests received in return for their support.

Presented by the Delmarva Chefs and Cooks Association with the Worcester County Arts Council to raise money for student scholarships, this function could easily have drawn a crowd two or three times larger than the hundred or so people who were lucky enough buy a ticket before they sold out.

But keeping this food adventure on the small and more intimate side is part of what made it so enjoyable, as it gave guests the opportunity to talk to the chefs and students about their dishes and presentations.

The most impressive aspect of this soiree, however, was that culinary students from Worcester Technical High School and Wor-Wic Community College produced many of the offerings.

That means something, because it shows that local schools are attuned to the local employment picture and are preparing young people who are interested in the culinary arts for a solid career here or elsewhere.

As is evidenced by all the cooking programs on television, the nation has become more appreciative of good food and the people who know how to deliver it. These schools and their culinary programs recognize that by offering curriculums that combine the practical business of sending people into a welcoming jobs market while also supplying them  with the knowledge and creative spirit needed to excel in it.

That alone is worth the price of a ticket. The outstanding food was a bonus.