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Chef
Fest Taste and Presentation Competition to Benefit Detroit Area Agency on
Aging Holiday Meals on Wheels Program
DETROIT, Sept. 2, 2003-- The 6th annual
Chef Fest taste and presentation competition will take place Wednesday,
Sept. 17 from seven until 10 p.m. inside the Riverview Ballroom of Cobo
Center to benefit the Detroit Area Agency on Aging's (DAAA) Holiday Meals on
Wheels program.
The Holiday Meals on Wheels program
provides hot, nutritious, made from scratch meals to homebound seniors on
Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. When funding permits,
breakfast boxes and weekend meals are provided.
"We began Holiday Meals on Wheels in
1988 after receiving reports that our seniors were eating sandwiches on
Thanksgiving instead of turkey and stuffing," said Detroit Area Agency
on Aging Executive Director Paul Bridgewater.
The program's motto -- Hunger Takes No
Holiday -- held true last year when 83,000 meals were delivered to homebound
seniors throughout Detroit, Hamtramck, Harper Woods, Highland Park and the
five Grosse Pointes.
"We hit a milestone in delivered
meals last year," said Dameon Wilburn, Holiday Meals on Wheel
coordinator. "We are hoping to surpass that number this year."
The program is solely supported by the
private and corporate contributions received from Chef Fest -- a friendly
presentation and taste competition between chefs from some of southeast
Michigan's finest restaurants.
"We have a number of very generous
Chef Fest Sponsors," said Bridgewater. "SBC for instance, has
supported Holiday Meals on Wheels since its inception in 1988 and this is
their second year as lead sponsor."
The theme of Chef Fest 2003 is Bon Appetit
Voyage. The Riverview Ballroom will be decorated with a nautical theme
designed to resemble a cruise ship.
Upon entering, guests will be met by the
sounds of David Myles and the Mylestones as they travel from station to
station tasting entree's, hors d' oeuvres, and desserts prepared by the
competing chefs. Guests have the option of then quenching their thirst at
the bar, coffee station or traveling champagne flow.
"Each year we attempt to make sure
Chef Fest is bigger and better than the year before," said Bridgewater.
"We attempt to make the atmosphere as enjoyable as possible for our
guests. Last year we had 1,000 people attend, we hope to have at least 1,500
this year."
Toward the end of the evening,
"celebrity" judges -- made up of local food, health and restaurant
media persons -- will be sequestered in a separate room to determine the
winner of the taste and presentation competition. The victorious contestant
will then be presented with the Golden Kettle.
"The Golden Kettle is new to the
program this year," said Bridgewater. "In the past we gave
separate awards for taste and presentation, but this year there will be one
big winner."
The winner will have his or her name
engraved on the award and then be allowed to display it at their restaurant
for one-year. "We like to think of the Golden Kettle as the Stanley Cup
of cooking," Bridgewater said.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or by
contacting Delores Schultz at 313-446-4444. Tickets cost $75.00 each and
$50.00 of the price is tax deductible. One Chef Fest ticket provides 15
complete meals to homebound seniors in the community.
Source: Detroit
Area Agency on Aging |
