Local literacy nonprofit Heart of America typically serves at-risk children, but Monday, June 21, it will be serving up food and fashion. At the ninth annual Sweet Charity event, attendees will have the opportunity to taste offerings from some of D.C.’s best chefs and watch a fashion show featuring fashion and accessories crafted from chocolate.

Angie and Bill Halamandaris founded Heart of America in order to promote literacy among low-income children in the D.C. area and nationwide. Heart of America co-hosts Sweet Charity with Albert Uster Imports, a Gaithersburg-based importer of fine foods that specializes in chocolate and pastry products. Proceeds from Sweet Charity will be used to provide books for children.

“Last year the total came to a little under $100,000,” Angie said. “The proceeds help us to deliver tens of thousands of books to children in the D.C. area each year.”

More than 15 chefs will be creating chocolate couture for the runway, including Kate Patterson, assistant pastry chef at RIS; and Co Co. Sala chocolatier Katie Musser, who has a Cruella De Ville-inspired outfit in the works.

Among the 40-plus chefs who will be be presenting tastings and demonstrations are Fabrice Bendano, pastry chef at Abdour at the St. Regis; Susan Delbert, executive chef at the National Press Club; Carlo Figarello, pastry chef instructor at the Art Institute of Washington; and Katsuya Fukushima, executive chef of José Andrés Catering with Ridgewells.

Spike Mendelsohn of Good Stuff Eatery will also be there, though not in a cooking capacity. He’ll be signing copies of his new book, The Good Stuff Cookbook.

Sweet Charity takes place Monday, June 21, from 6-9 p.m. at the Mandarin Oriental, 1330 Maryland Avenue SW. (202) 347-6278. $95 advance, $115 door.

Photo: Samuel Hurd