Updated with more restaurants: Taste of Nation April 11

The 17th Taste of the Nation event in Charlotte will be 7-10 p.m. April 11 at the Wells Fargo Center Atrium uptown. More than 30 area groups, from restaurants and culinary schools to wineries, show their stuff, along with live and silent auctions and live entertainment, and 100 percent of ticket sales go toward the national group Share Our Strength's initiative to end childhood hunger.

A VIP preview hour will be offered from 6-7, with a private lounge open for those attending. VIP tickets are $100; regular are $85. There's free parking in the parking deck. You can buy tickets online at www.charlottetasteofthenation.com or by phone at 704-376-1785.

Restaurants in the lineup include Amelie’s, American Roadside Burgers, Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, Chima, Ember Grille, e2 emeril’s eatery, Enso, Fern, Flatiron Kitchen & Taphouse, Gallery at Ballantyne Hotel, Georges Brasserie, Halcyon, LaVecchia’s, Mama Ricotta’s, Mert’s Heart & Soul, Mimosa Grill, Queen City Q, Rocky River Grille, Savannah Red, Upstream, Vida Cantina, Village Tavern, Vivace, Wolfgang Puck’s Pizza Bar and Zink American Kitchen.