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National Kidney Foundation Serving Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming Hosts 28th Annual Great Chefs of the West

(DENVER, CO) January 12, 2010—The National Kidney Foundation Serving Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming announces the 28th Annual Great Chefs of the West on Tuesday, February 8. The foundation’s largest fundraiser, Great Chefs of the West will be held at the EXDO Events Center (1399 35th Street, Denver). Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and a cocktail reception and silent auction at begin at 6:30 p.m.

“This year’s event already promises to exceed our expectations,” remarked Kathy Wegner, vice president of the division. “We thank event chairs Sue Shaffer, Lissy Garrison, and Michaelle Seeman for their dynamic leadership and exciting vision for our signature event.”

Denver’s finest restaurants and catering companies will provide hors d’oeuvres, entrees, and desserts in a dine-around atmosphere for the expected crowd of over 500. Confirmed restaurants and caterers thus far are the following: The Corner Office, Denver ChopHouse, Second Home, The Food Guy, Rialto Café, Oceanaire Seafood Room, The Lobby, The Palm, Biscuits and Berries, and Lovely Confections. Judges from Metromix, TasteCasting, Denver Magazine, and Out Front Colorado will determine the best appetizer, entrée, dessert, and overall restaurant.

Individual tickets are $150. Sponsorship opportunities and corporate tables are also available. To learn more and buy tickets, visit www.kidneycmw.org.

Musical entertainment will be provided by Six Feet Under the Starz. Media sponsors for the event are Metromix, 9News, Denver Magazine, Out Front Colorado, Mix100, and Kool 105.

“The funds raised from Great Chefs of the West go directly back into our community through programs such as early kidney disease detection and education for underserved communities,” said Wegner.
The National Kidney Foundation Serving Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming is dedicated to preventing kidney and urinary tract disease, improving the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation. For more information, visit www.kidneycmw.org.

National Kidney Foundation Serving Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming Hosts 27th Annual Great Chefs of the West

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The National Kidney Foundation Serving Colorado, Montana and Wyoming hosted the 27th Annual Great Chefs of the West on February 16. The foundation’s largest fundraiser, Great Chefs of the West was held at the EXDO Events Center (1399 35th Street, Denver), starting with a cocktail reception and silent auction.

“We revitalized this well-known event with many new exciting aspects,” remarked Judy Norman, vice president of the division. “As our venue, EXDO itself brought a stylish, contemporary vibe to our event. Our four young professional parties leading up to this event built tremendous support and excitement.”

Some of Denver’s finest restaurants provided hors d’oeuvres, entrees, and desserts in a dine-around atmosphere for the expected crowd of over 500: Baur’s Ristorante, Denver Chophouse, Bistro One, Happy Cakes Bakeshop, Hard Rock Café, Jonesy’s EatBar, Second Home, The Corner Office, and Wystone’s Tea Bar.

Celebrity judges included local comedian and veterinarian Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, Molly Hughes of CBS4, and Terry Vitale of Colorado Expression Magazine.

The National Kidney Foundation Serving Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming is dedicated to preventing kidney and urinary tract disease, improving the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation. For more information, visit www.kidneycimw.org


*Photos by Ron Washington

Great Chefs of the West Kick Off Party: January 27

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Wednesday, January 27
8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Jonesy’s EatBar
400 E. 20th Ave., Denver
Corner of 20th and Logan

The National Kidney Foundation Serving CO, MT & WY presents the 27th Annual Great Chefs of the West on February 16 at Exdo Events Center. Attracting nearly 600 supporters, this year’s event promises to be better than ever with Denver’s finest restaurants providing delicious hors d’oeuvres, exciting entrees, and divine desserts in a dine-around atmosphere. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.kidneycimw.org/gcotw.

Join us January 27 for a Kick Off Party to learn more about the Great Chefs of the West event, purchase tickets, live music, and enjoy a tasting with Jonesy’s culinary mastermind, Chef Brendan Doyle.

Opening in June 2008, Jonesy’s EatBar is the brainchild of Owner Leigh Jones, who wanted a restaurant that was warm and comfortable, a focus on local craft beers, exceptional list of wines, and favorite global comfort foods. She termed her new establishment a “gastropub,” which is the British term for a public house which specializes in high-quality food—a step above the more basic “pub grub.” Visit jeatbar.com for more.

Ticket price is $20 per person. Purchase in advance at www.blacktie-colorado.com/rsvp and enter event code “GreatChefs,” or purchase at the door. The $20 ticket price can be applied toward your February 16 Great Chefs ticket price.
Parking information: A free parking garage is available at 1970 Pennsylvania St., pay $1 to park at the 20th and Logan lot, or use street parking.
RSVP to Tracey.Nilson@kidney.org or call (720) 748-9991 ext. 116.

Young Professionals Committee:
Jim Guttau, chair
Dana Berry
Anne Donley
Georgia Gallagher
Jill Hodges
Kasia Iwaniczko
Jenny Salimi
Lea Tucker
Jessica Hood

The party will continue after 10:00 p.m. next door at Horseshoe Lounge: www.thehorseshoelounge.com.

Great Chefs of the West YPs: A New Image for the National Kidney Foundation of CO, MT, & WY

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Today, it is important for nonprofits to get creative and think outside the box when raising money and reaching out to new people. One of the most effective movements in the Colorado nonprofit scene has been the creation of young professionals committees. Many nonprofits are assessing their current donor profiles and are finding that their main benefactors are in the 50 year-old and over category. If these charities never reach out to a younger demographic, what happens when their donors pass away? The time is now to cultivate new, young leadership and donors.

For the National Kidney Foundation of CO, MT, and WY, the executive director and team wanted a fresh new image for the organization. Yes, the first and easiest step is to move away from the tired old ballroom gala and present a hip, more informal cocktail party. Second, I wanted to create a group of well-known young professionals (YPs) in Denver—who also get things done. That’s the important part. They can be socialites, but do they follow through and execute tasks when on a committee? This group of YPs would be responsible for organizing their own events that would compliment and help spread word-of-mouth buzz for the big Great Chefs of the West event in February 2010.

Assembling a group of ten stellar YPs, we first met in October 2008 and formed the Great Chefs of the West YP committee. We planned our first event for January 2009, which was held at One Lincoln Park at a penthouse condominium. The committee rallied, and we produced an event attended by over 200 YPs, complete with a DJ, vodka bar, wine bar, appetizers from two restaurants, and a photographer. We spent just $50 for the entire occasion (on linens and coat hangers) and created a great stir in the community about the Great Chefs YP events.

Second Home was the venue for our next event in May 2009. The format of this event was a guest bartending event, with the ten committee members mixing up a signature drink—the MORjito. This time, we did raise money from the sale of the signature drinks ($5 each) and from tips; we raised around $2,000 for the foundation and commanded an attendance of 200 once again.

Our third event will be held October 25 at Gourmet Fine Catering. We’re bringing the focus back to exemplary food and outstanding chefs, so the party will be right in the kitchen—a 12,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility. We’ll charge $20 this time, which will include live music, vodka bar, wine bar, and chef creations demonstrated live by the Gourmet culinary team. We got creative, too, and will be applying the $20 ticket price toward the February Great Chefs event ticket—a kind of layaway program to entice YPs to attend.

In January, we will hold one final “kick-off” party, and again, we’ll apply a $20 ticket price to the February event ticket.

Overall, the YP committee has definitely increased the visibility of the foundation—not only amongst YPs—but in the community. Because we are doing innovative, new events, we are garnering more coverage for the foundation than ever before. With more media coverage comes more awareness, and increased awareness helps increase funds.

A quote I heard from a YP best sums this up: “I know I have kidneys and am aware of what they do. I knew there probably had to be a foundation for kidneys, as almost every organ has its own charity. But, I hadn’t heard of the National Kidney Foundation of CO, MT, and WY before and didn’t realize they were headquartered right here in Denver. It’s exciting to be part of their new YP initiative and spread the word to my friends.”

Thank you to my phenomenal YP committee members:
Dana Berry
Anne Donley
Georgia Gallagher
Jill Hodges
Kasia Iwaniczko
Jenny Salimi
Jessica Hood
Lea Tucker

-Jim Guttau, Great Chefs of the West YP committee chairperson

Gourmet Fine Catering to Host Great Chefs of the West Young Professionals Event

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What:

The National Kidney Foundation of CO, MT and WY presents the third Great Chefs of the West Young Professionals (YP) event of 2009 at Gourmet Fine Catering.

Called “Chef’s Table: Eat. Drink. Gather. Gourmet.,” this YP event will focus on the chefs of Gourmet Fine Catering and their culinary creations. Hosted at Gourmet’s 12,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, Gourmet’s top chefs will showcase their culinary skills live in their own impressive environment. Guests will get a behind-the-scenes look at a full-service, high-volume production kitchen and will sample an array of sizzling hors d’oeuvres.

When:

Sunday, October 25 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Where:

Gourmet Fine Catering, 3600 E. 40th Ave., Denver

How:

Tickets are $20 per person, and all proceeds benefit the National Kidney Foundation. Ticket price includes open bar and chef creations, and can be applied toward the purchase price of a ticket to the February 16 Great Chefs event.
To purchase tickets online, please go to www.blacktie-colorado.com/rsvp and enter event code: NKF1025.

Who:
Members of the Young Professionals Committee:
Jim Guttau, chair
Dana Berry
Anne Donley
Georgia Gallagher
Jill Hodges
Kasia Iwaniczko
Jenny Salimi
Jessica Hood
Lea Tucker

More information:

The National Kidney Foundation of CO, MT and WY will host the 27th Annual Great Chefs of the West on February 16, which will feature Denver’s greatest culinary talents. YP events throughout 2009 will help generate buzz amongst young professionals (ages 21-39) for the Great Chefs event. For more information, visit www.kidneycimw.org/gcotw.

The National Kidney Foundation of Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming is dedicated to preventing kidney and urinary tract disease, improving the health and well-being of individuals and families affected by these diseases and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation. Visit the organization’s website at www.kidneycimw.org.

Photos: Great Chefs of the West Young Professionals Event

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These photos were taken by our event photographer, Tim Reese. Visit his website at www.sundancephoto.net. To view more photos of our Great Chefs of the West YP event, join our Facebook group.

Great Chefs of the West Young Professionals Event on January 22

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On January 22, the Great Chefs of the West Young Professionals held their first event of 2009 at One Lincoln Park, a new luxury high rise in Denver.

A big thank you to my committee members:
Donna Crafton
Anne Donley
Georgia Gallagher
Jill Hodges
Kasia Iwaniczko
Jenny Salimi
Lee Stiffler-Meyer
Lea Tucker


Special thanks to all of our sponsors and donors:
Georgia Gallagher, Kentwood City Properties: georgiagallagher.kentwoodrealestate.com
One Lincoln Park: www.onelincolnparkdenver.com
Below Nightclub, Bill Ward
Dining Out Magazine
Gourmet Fine Catering: www.gourmetfinecatering.com
Opus Restaurant: www.opusdine.com
42Below Vodka, Justin Frumkes: www.42below.com
Barefoot Wine, Cyndi Oman: www.barefootwine.com
DJ Dwight Houser
Tim Reese, photographer: www.sundancephoto.net
Betsy Martin and gift bag donors: FullBar, Mor Beverage, Chocolove

Young Professionals events throughout 2009 will help generate buzz amongst young professionals (aged 21-39) for the 27th Annual Great Chefs of the West event in 2010, which benefits the National Kidney Foundation of CO, MT & WY.

-Jim Guttau