Nasturtiums, pansies, violets, oregano, bee balm, scented geraniums ... Denise Schreiber was growing all these and more for next Thursday's Edible Flowers Food Fest in South Park. Until the evening of May 1, when fire destroyed Allegheny County's main greenhouse in the park, wiping out all of the plants as well as the food fest's recipes, which had been stored in Ms. Schreiber's office there.

It was a devastating loss, one compounded by the recent death of Ms. Schreiber's 84-year-old mother, who'd helped her prepare the food for the event for the past eight years.

But the ninth annual festival -- really an evening buffet dinner -- hasn't been derailed.

"She just loved this event and wouldn't have wanted it to be canceled, so we are going on with it," said Ms. Schreiber, greenhouse manager and horticulturist for Allegheny County Parks, which the festival benefits. With the help of about 10 Master Gardeners, Ms. Schreiber, a certified food handler, will have all the flowers and food she needs to stage the dinner at 7:15 p.m. next Thursday at the Buffalo Inn in South Park.

Ms. Schreiber initiated the event after a garden tour of England a decade ago with two horticulturist friends.

"The last place we went to was Mottisfont Abbey, known for its roses," she said. At its afternoon tea, Ms. Schreiber had the rose petal ice cream.

"I thought, oh, I have to have this, the fragrance of the roses exploding on my tongue. ... I wanted to get the recipe." But the ice cream wasn't made at the abbey.

When she got home, she found a recipe for rose petal ice cream, made from French vanilla ice cream, rose syrup, rose water and rose petals. The ice cream inspired a "little" edible food fest.

"I figured I would get 30-35 people."

But more than 200 people came the first year, and it's been growing ever since. Rose petal ice cream is on the menu year after year.

This year, some of the 13 dishes include fresh salsa with pineapple and nasturtiums; raspberry serviceberry soup; salmon with lemon-verbena-infused oil; pasta with meatballs and nasturtium vodka cream sauce; artichoke and chicken salad with jasmine rice, lemon and oregano flowers; and lavender shortbread cookies.

The $18 cost of the dinner (cash or check at the door) includes a booklet with all of the recipes. Registration is required by calling 412-835-2112 or 412-835-8740 and leaving your name, daytime telephone number and the number of people attending. Or register at gardens@alleghenycounty.us with the same information. Checks should be made out to the Allegheny County Treasurer.