Chefs’ dinner tickets make great gifts

Don’t know what to get for that person who has everything? How about treating them to a gourmet meal—all in the name of a charitable cause.
Tickets are available for the local Alzheimer Society’s second-annual “Chefs’ Charitable Dinner and Auction,” which is slated for Sunday, Jan. 21 at the Fort Frances Curling Club.
Margaret Schonewille, executive director of the Alzheimer Society of Kenora-Rainy River District, said Monday that around half the 100 tickets for the dinner have been sold or reserved so far.
But with a month to go, those interested in attending had better get their tickets A.S.A.P.
The dinner will feature a gourmet buffet prepared by chefs from both the Rainy River and Kenora districts, with food donated by area businesses.
Schonewille said the menu is starting to come together, and is confident a little knowledge of this will result in even more rapid ticket sales.
Appetizers will include fresh walleye fingers (La Flambée), spring rolls, samosas, and nonya top hats (Lee Garden), and apricot-stuffed pork loin with rosemary sauce (Gropp’s Old Tyme Meats in Kenora).
Soups will include cream of wild rice soup (Emo Inn), potato and leek soup with vegetables (Emo Inn), and cream of butternut squash (La Verendrye Hospital).
Salads will include coleslaw from K.F.C. and at least two different kinds by
Kettles Restaurant.
Vegetables will include Hong Kong Asia egg plant with mint (Lee Garden), cabbage rolls (Iris Gogosha), and glazed carrots with peppers (Gropp’s Old Tyme Meats).
La Verendrye Hospital will be preparing chicken mushroom pasta, Lee Garden will be serving up Malaysian lentil rice, and Gropp’s Old Tyme Meats will prepare herb and mushroom potatoes.
Entrées will include “Chubby Chicken” (A&W), glazed leg of ham (La Flambée), lemon pepper chicken (La Flambée), wok-seared scallops in a chili wine sauce (Lee Garden), tray of meats (Gropp’s Old Tyme Meats), and “elk” wild rice sausage (Rainy River Elk Company).
Desserts will include “Chocolate Euphoria” (Cloverleaf Shop Easy), ice cream cakes (Dairy Queen), apple, blueberry, and cherry dessert pizza (Pizza Hut),
cookies (Subway Sandwiches & Salads), date squares (Tim Hortons), and a yet-to-be-determined dessert from Kettles Restaurant.
Both the Dough & Deli Shoppe and Home Made in Burriss will be providing dinner rolls while Robin’s Donuts & Coffee Shop will be providing coffee and tea.
“We still have some menu items that aren’t confirmed yet, but there’s enough there to whet the whistle,” said Schonewille. “It looks really, really good.
“People ought to know what kind of things they’re going miss if they don’t buy a ticket for the dinner,” she added. “They aren’t just the usual items. We have some of the usual, but a lot are delicacies.”
Tickets for the dinner are available at the Adventure Inn, La Flambée, Lee Garden, or the Emo Inn, or by calling the Alzheimer Society at 1-800-682-0245.
They cost $50 each (buyers will get a $25 tax receipt).
Those who are worried about spending their money before Christmas can call Schonewille, reserve their tickets now, and then pay for them in January closer to the date of the dinner.
“People shouldn’t think, ‘Oh well, I’ll buy them after Christmas’ and then after Christmas, the tickets are gone,” said Schonewille.
You can pay for them with cash, cheque, VISA, or Mastercard.
Schonewille also said she’s been contacted by quite a few chefs and suppliers who want to support the dinner. But if anyone else wants to get involved, they can contact her at the above phone number.
The inaugural “Chefs’ Charitable Dinner” here raised a total of $4,417.
In other Alzheimer fundraising news, the annual “Penny for your thoughts” penny weigh-in fundraiser will be held Jan. 19-20 at Canadian Tire here.
The public is welcome to drop by with collected pennies, donate them, and have them weighed.
Those who turn in the greatest weights are eligible for prizes.
Around $500 worth of copper was donated at the last penny weigh-in here.
As well, the annual roast beef fundraiser dinner for the Alzheimer Society will be held at the Rainy River Legion on Saturday, Jan, 20.
Last year’s dinner raised close to $2,000.
And finally, a little further into the new year, a third-annual book sale will be held at Revco Carpet here Feb. 8-10. Those wanting to donate books can start dropping them off there beginning Jan. 21.
Last year’s book sale brought in more than $2,300.