By John Breech / STAFF

Most people would probably agree that it’s not a good thing when you’re in a room surrounded by dozens of police officers and firefighters. This usually means one of two things: your house is on fire or you’ve done something really illegal.

However, that wasn’t the case Tuesday night at Benihana when dozens of Alpharetta police officers and firefighters filled the restaurant for a good cause: to raise money for the Alpharetta Public Safety Foundation.

The usual chefs at Benihana (the restaurant where all the cooking is done at your table) were replaced by Alpharetta’s finest and bravest. Benihana’s chefs pride themselves in putting on an excellent culinary show and the Alpharetta servicemen did their best to replicate that experience for the hundreds in attendance.

The officers and firefighters were introduced to the table they were cooking for by APSF chairman John Albers. In his best pro wrestling announcer’s voice, Albers introduced each officer by stating their years of service and their cooking experience.

After the meal, everyone in attendance was invited to participate in a silent auction that raised over $22,000 at last year’s event. Items up for auction included a Tim Tebow signed football, two Air Tran tickets to anywhere in the country and a 9.5 pound Nestle Crunch bar. The auction also proved to be a country music lover’s heaven, as items also included: a framed Taylor Swift autographed CD, a Kenny Chesney signed electric guitar and a framed Toby Keith autographed album cover.

The APSF, founded in December 2006, exists for one purpose: to help Alpharetta remain a safe place to work, live and play by supporting the local police and fire departments. Money raised is used to financially help firemen, police officers and their families in times of need and crisis.

For information on how you can donate to the APSF, go to apsfoundation.org.