Are you a Rhode Island foodie? Do you enjoy a night out and a good cocktail with friends? Join us at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State’s sixth annual food and drink tasting, The Big Toast.

Awarded RI Monthly’s Best Nonprofit Fundraiser, this extraordinary tasting event features over 60 restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, and distilleries offering samples of their most delicious and enticing offerings. Featured vendors include Sons of Liberty, Two Ten Oyster Bar, Mills Tavern, The Real McCoy, The Coast Guard House, and many more. Enjoy live entertainment and enter the “Taste of the Ocean State” raffle for a chance to win $1,000 in restaurant gift cards to Rhode Island’s finest.

This year the event will be held on Oct. 6 at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston. Tickets are on sale now at thebigtoast.org. Guests who purchase tickets using promo code “EARLYBIRD” will save 20 percent on each ticket from now until Aug. 31. Presenting sponsor Alex and Ani also generously donated a bangle to be included in swag bags given out to the first 300 to people to arrive.

David Dadekian, president of Eat Drink RI and winner of a 2014 Rhode Island Foundation Innovation Grant, will be returning as honorary chairperson for the event and is excited to be a part of The Big Toast again this year.

“BBBSOS has been a great organization to work with,” he said. “Their mission is not only admirable, but the services they provide to more than 500 local children every year are critical to the future of Rhode Island. I’m so happy to be able to offer my experience in helping to make this event a continued success.”

Dadekian will be joining BBBSOS, along with Basta Italian Restaurant, for a cooking segment on the WPRI 12 Rhode Show on Sept. 28 live at 9 a.m. Tune in for a delicious recipe and more details on The Big Toast.

Last year’s Big Toast sold out and netted over $20,000 for BBBSOS.

“The money raised from The Big Toast allows us to continue to fund our mentoring programs,” Executive Director Katje Afonseca said. “Each mentoring relationship we have within our organization requires an extensive background screening for participating adults, along with on-going professional support from skilled BBBSOS case workers who provide training and free activities for our mentoring pairs. These necessities cost money and it is wonderful for us to have a fundraiser like The Big Toast to support these expenses.”

To find out more about the event, see photo highlights from last year’s event, or to learn more about becoming a mentor to a child in Rhode Island, visit bbbsos.org or call 921-2434.