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dr.com Fundraiser @ L'Academie de Cuisine


hillvalley

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On Thursday, April 20th, cjsadler and txaggie will host a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at L'Acdemie de Cuisine as part of their effort to raise $8,400 for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program.

There is room for 25 people and the cost is $125. That includes a five course meal with wine pairings and special guests. $100 of that cost is tax deductible.

The meal looks amazing but is not vegetarian or food allergy friendly.

cjsadler will post more details later in the day. Please refrain from contacting him or asking any further questions until he has posted all the details. Thanks!

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First, we'd like to thank Don for being willing to host this event here on the site, and hillvalley for all of her organizational support.

Binni Chadda (txaggie) and I (cjsadler) are currently training for a 100-mile bike ride as part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program (each year they organize a marathon, triathlon and 100 mile bike ride). We are each committed to raising $4,200 (so a total of $8,400). This is a charity that makes a visible difference. We have two teammates who are survivors of blood cancers. They and many others are alive today because of research that the Society has funded.

Binni and I have very personal reasons for working with this charity. I am participating in honor of my mother, who died from lymphoma when I was 13.

As a fundraising event, we have organized a cooking class at L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, MD. Binni and I are volunteer assistants at L’Academie, and they have generously donated the use of their demonstration kitchen to us so that we can host a 5-course, wine-paired cooking class.

The cost for this event is $125 (approximately $100 will be tax-deductible). The dinner will be on Thursday, April 20, 2006, at 7pm.

The class will be demonstration style and suitable for all levels of cooks, from beginners to advanced. Our chef, Brian Patterson, likes for his classes to get a bit raucous, and he'll field any cooking questions you've got. This is going to be a very fun evening! We are working on a few other surprises (and surprise guests) too. Bios are at the bottom of this post.

We hope that you will support us in this event. The normal cost for a L'Academie de Cuisine wine-paired cooking class of this level is $95-$115. Think about it this way -- you're making a contribution to a great cause and getting a cooking lesson, food, wine and a fantastic evening just for supporting a worthy cause.

If you would like to join us please contact me via PM before noon on Monday. The event will be run in traditional DonRockwell.com style with a lottery if necessary and prepayment through PayPal.

Thanks for your support!

Bios:

Chef: Brian Patterson

Brian Patterson is a graduate of L'Academie de Cuisine's professional program. He has been teaching vocational classes there for the past 15 years. Brian is also the executive chef for the Washington Office of the American Medical Association. Prior to that, he worked in numerous restaurants in the DC area and has spent time cooking in Napa. He also occasionally writes for the Washington Post Food Section. I've learned much of what I know about cooking from Brian.

Pastry Chef: Lydia Schlosser

Lydia has been a pastry chef at Café Bethesda, and most recently at Palena. She currently helps manage the recreational program at L'Academie de Cuisine. She has also been featured on the Food Network's Recipe for Success.

Wine Pairings: Joe Riley

DR.com's own Joe Riley is the Fine Wine Manager at Ace Beverage. I'm very excited to taste the pairings he's coming up with for this event.

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I've been discussing this event with Chris and Binni for a couple of months, and decided long ago that I'd throw my full weight behind it.

$125 is a lot of money, but this is basically a charitable donation - actually, it isn't "basically" a charitable donation; it IS a charitable donation.

This event seems like a no-brainer to me - a well-organized, purely philanthropical effort with NO personal gain for anyone - but we need to get everyone signed up next week, preferably sooner rather than later.

Who's in, and what do I need to do to entice everyone to come?

How's this? For everyone who signs up, I'll do a raffle, and I'll treat the winner to a free (and guaranteed!) entry to the next event (right now it's Passage to India, I think, but if you can't make it to that one, we'll work it out).

Cheers!

Rocks.

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Wow! That sounds great. Alas, I know I have a work committment that night. I swear that Don has an eye on my calendar and is scheduling events just to spite me.

BUT...more importantly, for those of us who can't go but want to be supportive, is there a way to make a donation?

Thanks!

Jennifer

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A few people asked about the menu, so I'm going to go ahead and post it. We've both assisted dozens of Brian's classes over the past few years, and chose what we think are some of his greatest dishes.

Smoked oyster canapé

Seared scallops with sauteed watercress and endive, and lemon beurre blanc

Duck breast salad with fried ginger and seasonal fruit

Leg of lamb stuffed with feta, mint and olives

(Brian is a real master at roasting meat)

Dessert TBD

(I think we're going with Lydia's original suggestion on this, but maybe I'll just leave this as a surprise)

In additional to Don's generous contribution, we've received some other very nice things to raffle off throughout the evening. I'll reveal what some of those are shortly, as we want to thank several of our members publicly for their donations.

We've still got a few spots, so PM me if you're interested.

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(The edit button seems to be disabled, so I'm forced to add a new post here)

I just had some questions about how this class works. It's in L'Academie's demonstration kitchen, so you'll be seated at tables, as Brian teaches/demos the dishes. It's a full meal with wine pairings, not tasting portions, and as you're eating one dish, Brian will be working on the next one (as he jokes, "it's dinner and a show").

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Chris, what sorts of things could people donate for raffle?

Currently the things we have are food related, but we're open to other offers. I'm still finalizing a few things on this front, so I don't want to speak too soon about some things we may be raffling off. However, I want to go ahead and give a big thank you to two DR.com members for their very generous donations:

Danny Boylen for donating dinner for two (tasting menu and wine pairing) at Notti Bianche

Michael Landrum for donating dinner for two at Ray's

We'll be giving those away that evening. There's still some room, so please send me a PM if you're interested.

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However, I want to go ahead and give a big thank two DR.com members for their very generous donations:

Danny Boylen for donating dinner for two (tasting menu and wine pairing) at Notti Bianche

Michael Landrum for donating dinner for two at Ray's

I was excited about this before, but now I'm officially So Frickin Excited.

I hope I didn't use up all my raffle luck winning that ice cube tray at Corduroy. Not that it's not a perfectly lovely ice cube tray, but it probably wouldn't taste very good with diablo sauce. Or chestnut papardelle.

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I just had some questions about how this class works.  It's in L'Academie's demonstration kitchen, so you'll be seated at tables, as Brian teaches/demos the dishes.  It's a full meal with wine pairings, not tasting portions, and as you're eating one dish, Brian will be working on the next one (as he jokes, "it's dinner and a show").

Okay, April Fools is over and I can decloak.

Count me in for this event, please. If there's a lottery, I'll add myself to the pool of candidates and let someone else do it. Also, I won't make myself eligible for the raffle stuff (it would be absurd if I ended up donating dinner to myself).

See you April 20th, I hope!

Rocks.

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Currently the things we have are food related, but we're open to other offers.  I'm still finalizing a few things on this front, so I don't want to speak too soon about some things we may be raffling off.  However, I want to go ahead and give a big thank two DR.com members for their very generous donations:

Danny Boylen for donating dinner for two (tasting menu and wine pairing) at Notti Bianche

Michael Landrum for donating dinner for two at Ray's

We'll be giving those away that evening.  There's still some room, so please send me a PM if you're interested.

Please note: This is a Special Third-Class Dinner for Two at Ray's The Classics. Many of you have already experienced second-class treatment at Ray's The Steaks, but this dinner will be third-class all the way!!!

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Please note:  This is a Special Third-Class Dinner for Two at Ray's The Classics.  Many of you have already experienced second-class treatment at Ray's The Steaks, but this dinner will be third-class all the way!!!

I'm told I have no class, so this would be a special experience!

Seriously, I wish I could participate, but it's outside of my radius for a work night, and Mr. S will be in Thailand or in the air flying home then (I'm so confused by the time zones). I know this event will be a huge success.

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Chris,

How would you like payments? Directly to you or through PayPal? Not that I care too much about tax deduction, but how will that work with PayPal?

I'll get a Paypal email out to everyone by the end of the week. (The financial office of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has indicated that I need to collect the money and then forward on the tax deductable portions as donations in each of your names-- a bit complicated, but since the entire amount is not deductable, this is the way it needs to be done.)

Still a few spots we're trying to fill, so please PM me if you're interested.

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I'll get a Paypal email out to everyone by the end of the week.  (The financial office of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has indicated that I need to collect the money and then forward on the tax deductable portions as donations in each of your names-- a bit complicated, but since the entire amount is not deductable, this is the way it needs to be done.)

Still a few spots we're trying to fill, so please PM me if you're interested.

Great class, great instructor, great cause...How is this not filled yet?

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This is going to be so much fun!  I can't wait!!!

My travel schedule is such that I can't commit this far out to anything. However, I have an idea... would it be possible to save some auction items that are being donated and have a "silent" auction for DR members. More money may be able to be raised... Just a thought.
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Great class, great instructor, great cause...How is this not filled yet?

Well, I for one had a distracting weekend and didn't notice this event until after the original Monday noon deadline had expired. But happy day, there is one fewer spot available now <_<

I gather that this event supports the training activities behind the society's primary fundraising events - marathons and the like - so I'm looking at it as a sort of force multiplier. It'll be fun. And there's a personal reason too; my dad's a survivor of primary brain lymphoma, two-and-a-half years so far.

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This is the list I have. If there's any mistakes or omissions, please let me know right away. Otherwise, please send me a PM with the email you want me to send the PayPal invoice to, your full name, and your address*. Thanks so much everyone!

Mel Gold

jm_chen

Heather

Xochitl10

MBK +1

Porcupine +1

Raisa B +1

ol_ironstomach

dcfoodie

JPW

shogun

ustreetguy

reverbbrad +1

cucas87

hillvalley

DonRocks

(And we'll be joined by a few non-members)

*The address is for tax deduction purposes-- after we file the paperwork, you'll get a "Thank You" letter from the L&L Society that will serve as a receipt for your donation. If you don't think you'll be taking the deduction, there's no need for you to include your address. You can change your mind about this later and give me your address at the event. This all reminds me-- I still haven't done my taxes.

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We have all the Paypal stuff just about settled (except for a couple of people), so I'm going to go ahead and post these links, as several people here asked about making a donation if they weren't attending the event (I didn't want to create confusion about how to pay by posting these links earlier). Doesn't matter which website you donate at-- it's all going directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (and they will mail you tax deduction info).

Thanks!

Binni

Chris

(The link to donate is on the right-hand side of the pages)

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I've sent out PM's with this info, plus some additional notes, but wanted to post it here too... just in case.

And I forgot to mention in the PM: Dress is casual.

Here's the details for Thursday:

We'll start at 7pm, and will stick to the usual L'Academie class time of 7-10pm (we'll do our best to keep things moving along, since it's a weeknight).

Directions to L'Academie de Cuisine

If Driving:

Definitely take advantage of the free parking at the Bethesda Elementary School (noted on the L'Academie page linked above). I believe the elementary school's restriction against using their lot ends at 5pm (it might be 4:30pm, though-- if someone needs to know the exact time they can start parking there, let me know and I'll find out) and then starts again at 6am the next morning (this is a good thing to know about for other times too, as they don't mess around with charging for and enforcing parking in downtown Bethesda). Not sure if they'll have the back gate of the school open or not, but if it's open, you can park at the back of the lot and walk out that gate to be only a few steps from L'Academie. Otherwise, you'll have to walk back out the front of the school, make a left on Arlington Road as you exit and then make a left on Wilson.

If Taking the Metro:

The Bethesda stop is quite close to L'Academie (about 4 blocks). There are a bunch of different ways to exit once you get off the Metro, so it can be slightly confusing if you haven't been there before. The easiest thing to do is this: After riding up the escalator, you'll see a set of steps straight in front of you (across the platform). Go up those and take a left on Old Georgetown Road (which will be the street straight in front of you after walking up the stairs). Walk down Old Georgetown about 4 blocks. Take a diagonal left onto Wilson (this will be at the intersection of Arlington Road and Old Georgetown).

We'll be in the downstairs demonstration kitchen of L'Academie.

Thanks!

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To those of you who thought about joining us and didn't, go ahead and kick yourself. The night was excellent. Chef was all that Chris and Binni promised he would be and more: he put up with us :angry: My personal favorite dishes were the first two: smoked trout mouse topped with smoked oysters and seared scallops with bitter greens and a citrus vinagrette.

Jake provided brilliant wine pairings, my favorite being the RM champagne with the first course. I was told on the ride home I had about four glasses :)

Congrats to Raisa B's husband, jm chen and heather on their lottery winnings. Enjoy your prizes!

Thank you Michael, Danny and Jake for you generous donations.

But more importantly, congrats to Chris and Binni for hosting a night to raise money for such a worthy cause. I thank you on behalf of those in my life who are alive because of the Lukemia and Lymphomia Society.

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A huge, huge thank you to everyone for coming last night! Together, we raised over $2000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

And thanks again to Brian, Lydia, Jake, Don, hillvalley, Danny, and Michael for their generous donations of time, effort, food and wine.

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Yes the food and company was wonderful. Chris and Binni I hope you surpassed your goal!

I am now the proud winner of a 3rd class dinner courtesy of Michael Landrumm!

The best was sitting near JPW as I got to eat some of his scallops and he keeps spare wine bottles at his side!

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Ok, I'm going to raffle the spot at the Passage to India event that Don generously donated. I'll use the random number lottery approach we usually go with for events. In this case, who ever gets number 1 is the winner. If you already won something, you're out of the running for this, and if you had a guest you get an extra slot. So here's the list of entrants:

MelGold

Xochitl10

MBK

MBK +1

porcupine

porcupine +1

ol_ironstomach

dcfoodie

JPW

shogun

ustreetguy

reverbbrad

reverbbrad +1

cucas87

mdt

cathmc

hillvalley

(If you win and you're already coming to the Passage to India dinner, we'll figure something out).

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When I went to pick up the Notti Bianche gift certificate, Danny Boylen (starfish) told me he also wanted to make a contribution of a bottle of wine from his personal cellar. He requested that I auction it off to raise an additional donation. Danny will select a special bottle for the winner: small-grower, with a retail value of ~$100.

As a bonus, I'm also going to throw in a couple of bottles left from the event (Jake sold them to me at cost):

Clos de la Roilette 2004 - AOC Fleurie

Avondale Muscat Rouge 2003 - WO Paarl

Payment can either be via paypal, online donation, or a check written out to the L&L Society. I'm running the auction via eBay (if you're not familiar with eBay and want to make a bid, PM me and I'll make a proxy bid for you). It's open now:

Link to Auction

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When I went to pick up the Notti Bianche gift certificate, Danny Boylen (starfish) told me he also wanted to make a contribution of a bottle of wine from his personal cellar.  He requested that I auction it off to raise an additional donation.  Danny will select a special bottle for the winner: small-grower, with a retail value of ~$100.

actually, the offer was for a bottle that would retail for at least $100. i went through my cellar last night and i selected a magnum of 1995 corison cabernet.

happy bidding.

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actually, the offer was for a bottle that would retail for at least $100.  i went through my cellar last night and i selected a magnum of 1995 corison cabernet.

happy bidding.

:) That should get the bidding going! :angry:

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