A Charity Worth Exploring
I have recently joined a charity called OJFC – ‘Old Jeans for Charity’. I don’t want to come across all Christian-like, but it does seem an excellent — and painless — way to help out needy children.
Tag: charity
Blogger Boobie-Thon… Show 'em for charity
In an effort to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation to fight breast cancer, the fine folks over at Boobie-Thon have launched their third-annual ‘blogger boobie-thon’ which raises lettuce by showing melons, so to speak.  For more information on their 2003 event which…
7 Days for SIDS
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Since early January 2005, I have been volunteering at Jean-Robert at Pigall’s (“Pigall’s”) to gain real-world restaurant experience to compliment my ongoing culinary training at Midwest Culinary Institute. This experience has been outstanding, and I’ve accelerated my learning and skills tremendously since starting with Pigall’s. When I learned of this annual event, I offered to help and Chef accepted my offer.
The event I worked with Chef on was “Chefapalooza“, the kick-off gala for 7 Days of SIDS. From the website, Chefapalooza is described as:
Take three world-class chefs, add three delicious celebrities, stir well, and sprinkle liberally with food, wine, and laughter. What do you get? Chefapalooza!Sink in to the theatre seats at the Midwest Culinary Institute’s state-of-the-art cooking amphitheater and watch live demos of mouth-watering appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Enjoy tasty samples of each of the dishes … before and after the show. Continue reading 7 Days for SIDS
DINNER 150: Tuesday, May 30, 2006
This evening, Wendy & I went to Joann Fabrics to pick out fleece for our upcoming participation in a Project Linus event that Holly organized and Tracy is hosting. Project Linus is a 100% volunteer non-profit organization with a two-fold mission: First, it is our…
DINNER 154: Saturday, June 3, 2006
We went to Tracy’s house tonight to participate in a Project Linus blanket-making that Holly organized for us. Everyone brought something to eat in addition to their blanket-making materials, so we had fried chicken, mac & cheese, a couple different salads, cookies, and desserts. I…
DINNER 164: Tuesday, June 13, 2006
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This evening, I again had the opportunity to work side-by-side with Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel, owner and chef of Cincinnati Ohio’s Jean-Robert at Pigall’s at 7 Days for SIDS: A One Week Fundraiser for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, an event that he and his wife Annette founded after losing their daughter Tatiana to SIDS in June of 2002. In the past few years, this annual event has raised over $100,000 for SIDS education, research, and parental support; and has funded the Tatiana de Cavel scholarship fund at the Midwest Culinary Institute (“MCI”) at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. This is the fourth year of the event and I was pleased to be able to participate.
I worked with Chef Julie Francis of NECTAR restaurant in Mt. Lookout. She made Fresh Peach Shortcakes with Ginger Cream and Basil Syrup as well as a Fresh Strawberry Mousse in a Chocolate Cup and topped with Candied Pistachios.
When I arrived after my day job, things were just getting started so I was able to pitch in from the very beginning. I worked with Chef Julie on the mousse cups. Once we got those done, I worked with other students on the shortcakes. It was interesting to work with many of the first year students. There’s quite a difference in the skill-set and confidence level between those students and students who are further along in their studies.
After getting the food into coolers and everything cleaned up and put away, I went down to the kitchen theater to watch the ‘program’ of the evening. The program consisted of the evening’s chefs and their ‘celebrity’ assistants doing demos of the dishes we were to serve, followed by a question-and-answer session, all hosted by Storm Bennett from KISS 107.1 radio in Cincinnati. The demos were good and the banter was lively and cordial.
Once the program ended, we staffed our tables and served, served, served. The number of guests seemed to be lighter than last year, but we were still pretty darned busy with service for a while. I managed to try most of the dishes being offered, and really liked the beef tenderloin ‘oscar’ served by the gang at Jag’s. I guess that, and a couple glasses of wine, would be considered my dinner for the evening.
I promised Chef Meg I’d say hi to her on my site, so… HI CHEF MEG!
I finished serving, schmoozed with the guests a while, then cleaned up and headed home.
DINNER 346: Wednesday, December 13, 2006
   After work tonight, I headed over to Pho Paris restaurant because I’ve been invited to join the planning committee for the 7 Days for SIDS events that take place every June. Being invited to join the committee is very exciting for me. I’ve worked…