Bon Vivant Culinary Judge

On Sunday, March 28th, I was asked to be a Culinary Judge at the Bon Vivant Food & Wine Tasting Event held at Rawhide.  This event benefits the Boys & Girls Club of the East Valley.  I, of course loving food, gladly accepted the invitation to judge.  Upon arriving, I was assigned the category of Desserts.  Wahoo, I was hoping I would get this category!!!  I, along with Dinna Higgins from the Mesa City Council, judged over 8 different restaurants and caterers selected desserts.  We had everything from truffles, fondue, bread pudding, key lime tart, flan and many more.  The winner was the fruit flatbread - flatbread topped with warm chocolate syrup, fresh raspberries, strawberries and bananas!!  Unfortunately, the restaurant or caterer was kept from us when selecting the winner, so I am not sure which restaurant/caterer produced this heavenly dessert!!!  After judging the desserts, I was asked to judge the best booth at the event. This single-handedly was Rawhide.  What a great booth - wonderful presentation, great service and amazing food! 

My husband Greg had the opportunity to attend this event, for a change.  What an event to attend. He was able to sample food, wine, beverages, and liquor while I was fulfilling my judging duties! 

I am suprised to say... I think I can have had enough dessert for awhile!!

Cystic Fibrosis 65 Roses & Fine Wine Dinner

I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's 65 Roses and Fine Wine Dinner held at the Montelucia in Paradise Valley.  The event earned it's name "65 Roses" because children often have difficulty pronouncing Cystic Fibrosis, so they say "65 roses". 

What an amazing event - beautiful setting, great people, over 100 wines, fantastic food and a great cause. I had a blast with the 3 CFF employees that I was paired with that night.  I was personally in charge of selling "prize boxes".  We had a table full of over 60 "prizes", each box contained a description of the prize you won.  Boxes sold for $100 or 3 for $250.  Let me just tell you I think it might be easier selling prize boxes at a charity event, than it is selling checking accounts!  I managed to sell all but 12 boxes by the end of the cocktail hour.  Not too bad considering the current economy. 

Thank you Lori Wray for putting on such a beautiful event.