About 900 guests, sponsors and partners enjoyed an afternoon of gourmet food, wine and auctions at Cal Poly Pomona on May 1. The fourth annual Southern California Tasting & Auction, held in the Rose Garden and the Aratani Japanese Garden, raised about $173,000 for student scholarships and academic enrichment opportunities.

Guests tasted a wide range of cuisines, including savory crepes, sushi, pulled pork sandwiches, boutique cupcakes and oysters on the half shell. Popular auction items included dinner for eight with university President Michael Ortiz, an educational trip to Italy with the landscape architecture program, and a week's stay at a Basque seaside resort.

Live jazz entertainment was provided by the Cal Poly Pomona Jazz Faculty and Friends Quartet, Zac Matthews and Tom Luer, and special guests Riner Scivally, an internationally acclaimed guitarist, and Dave Tull, a world class drummer and vocalist.

The 2012 Tasting & Auction is scheduled for Sunday, May 6. For more details about the event, visit www.polytaste.com.