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Food Table

July 23, 2010 on 3:36 pm | In Main Category | No Comments

Take a look at what Food Table blogger had to say about our upcoming 10th Annual Dessert First Event on August 15 at the InterContinental Hotel….

“Like many people, I get my share of mail/junk mail. And like many, I really don’t have time to look through everything. I give each piece exactly 2 seconds before it goes to the recycle bin. 1 second to actually decide whether it’s a bill (most likely not as I don’t like getting stuff in the mail unless it’s presents); and 2 second to decide whether it’s worth my time.

The Project Open Hand invite fell into the latter group.

First, I have a few pet causes, and this org falls into that group. Secondly, the envelope was pretty enough to get me to open it. A beautiful bronze color envelope with a big fat monarch butterfly (64 cents) stamp. On the front, it says, “a Decade of Delicious.”

Hmmm… apparently this is the 10th Annual Dessert First event, so it’s a biggie.

So here’s what the invite said,

“Please join us to pay tribute to some of the finest pastry chefs in the Bay Area as they prepare decadent dessert creations for your indulgence:

Patti Dellamonica-Bauler (One Market Restaurant)

Luis Villavelazquez (Absinthe Brasserie & Bar)

Devin Alper (American Cupcake)

James Choplin (Bisou French Bistro)

Jessica Sullivan (Boulevard)

Elizabeth Falkner (Citizen Cake and Orson)

Terri Wu (Farallon)

Inter Continental San Francisco and (Luce Restaurant)

Adrienne Garcia (Marche)

Josh Thomsen (Meritage at the Claremont)

Ethan Howard (Murray Circle)

Carlos Sanchez (Parcel 104)

Suzanne LaFleur (Perbacco)

Michelle Polzine (Range)

Tim Nugent (Scala’s Bistro)

Sunday, August 15, 2010 – 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

VIP Reception: 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

InterContinental San Francisco | 888 Howard Street | San Francisco”

The VIP reception costs $100 if you buy it online, and $125 if you reserve it the old fashion way. And the general admission is $65 online and $75 if you reserve it by mail.

The bummer is that I can’t go, so while I will contribute to the cause, I won’t be able to blog about this actual event. Argh! I am sure it will be fabulous!

However, I am blogging about it now, so that if you don’t already know about this event, you are now informed.

To read more about Project Open Hand, an organization that helps people living with HIV/AIDS, homebound or critically ill, and seniors, please visit www.openhand.org

This is truly a wonderful organization that helps the needy in the Bay Area. Many of my coworkers have volunteered at this org helping to prepare meals for delivery, and some of us also donate funds on our own.”

For more words of wisdom from Food Table, check out her blog at http://foodtable.wordpress.com/

World Premiere of “Sugar”

July 20, 2010 on 1:29 pm | In Main Category | No Comments

Project Open Hand is happy to present the video “Sugar” – a grand little introduction to YAY! Sprinkles and a reminder to join us at Project Open Hand’s decadent fundraiser, A Decade of Delicious – Project Open Hand’s 10th Annual Dessert First!, on August 15th at the InterContinental San Francisco.  This will be the closing event of the 2010 SF Chefs Week where 16 of the Bay Area’s best pastry chefs will provide samples of their decadent desserts. There will also be cocktails, music, and a fabulous silent auction. Buy your tickets while they are still available! Call 415-447-2316 or visit www.openhand.org to purchase your tickets today.

Check out this amazing video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFBln-v2mgk and you’ll be sure to get excited about Dessert First!

Posted by Hannah and Ilana

The Generosity of Restaurateurs!

July 20, 2010 on 11:19 am | In Main Category | No Comments

“Few professions are as warm and giving as chefs and restaurateurs. I’d almost swear they headline more charity events than there are restaurants in San Francisco,” says Inside Scoop SF in their article “The Generosity of Chefs and Restaurateurs” on July 6, 2010. The staff at Project Open Hand couldn’t agree more. Our organization receives generous donations from various restaurants in the Bay Area throughout the year, and we couldn’t fully accomplish our mission without the kindness of these outside gifts and services. We are in the process of planning our 10th Annual Dessert First, where 16 of the Bay Area’s finest pastry chefs will not only be donating their time and skills, but also all the ingredients to make 500 portions of a delicious treat for the event’s guests. We couldn’t hold this event without these chef’s generous contributions. But wait, there’s more…

As we prepare for this event, we are also asking numerous restaurants throughout the Bay Area for donations towards the silent auction. Until now, we didn’t fully realize the amount of similar requests restaurants receive on a regular basis. According to Inside Scoop, “rarely a day goes by that they aren’t asked for a donation; often they’ll get 10 in a day.” Now that we know this statistic, we will feel even more appreciative to those businesses who donate their services. Despite the odds, we hope to have a successful auction with many generous donations.

So when you’re bidding on an item at a silent auction, remember the generosity of that item’s donor. In today’s economy, it’s nice to know that there’s still support for POH in the community!

To read the original article, please visit: http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/michaelbauer/2010/07/06/the-generosity-of-chefs-and-restaurateurs/

Posted by Hannah and Ilana