Chefs to compete for Top Chef honor at
charity event celebrating fall’s bounty
Proceeds
of 9th Annual Valley Vine & Harvest Throwdown will benefit
Canvas Health’s mental health services
Lake
Elmo, Minnesota - On Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, seven local chefs will take part in
an epic culinary competition with the goal of raising money for local mental
health programs, substance use programs, and Minnesota’s suicide prevention
phone lines.
The Annual Valley Vine & Harvest Throwdown, to be held at the Lake Elmo Inn
Event Center, will celebrate nine years of benefiting Canvas Health, an
Oakdale-based nonprofit. Each competing chef will prepare a mini-entrée made
with at least one local ingredient and paired with a fine wine selected by the
event’s Wine Ambassadors, Andy Kass and Bill Abrahamson. After enjoying each
dish, guests will vote for their favorite to receive the coveted Top Chef of
the Valley award.
This
year’s competition boasts a diverse group of competing chefs: Chef Angela
Verrastro, Angelina’s Kitchen; Chef Ron Bohnert, Danny’s Bar & Grill; Chef
Paul LaPean, The Nova Restaurant & Wine Bar; Chef Maggie Wescott, Rivertown
Inn; Chef Angelo Montes, Sole Mio Ristorante; Chef Justin Neubauer, Tamarack
Tap Room; and Chef Jeffrey Lundmark, Wilder Scratch Kitchen.
In
addition to feasting on mini-entrées and sampling fine wines, guests will have
the opportunity to bid on unique live and silent auction items, including
private chef dinners and a week at a house in France. They’ll also be able to
purchase a bottle of fine wine from the wine wall.
Prior
to the main chef competition event, reigning Top Chef of the Valley Chef John
Schiltz from Lake Elmo Inn will host an intimate VIP Grand Cru Party, where he
will discuss the preparation of foie gras. There will also be an exciting
sabrage tutorial. Sabrage is a technique for opening a champagne bottle with a
saber, used for ceremonial occasions. The wielder slides the saber along the
body of the bottle to break the top of the neck away, leaving the neck of the
bottle open and ready to pour.
“Being
at Valley Vine is like watching an exciting chef’s competition show on TV, only
better because the delicious dishes they create become your entrée for the
night—as a guest, you get to partake in everything,” said Matt Eastwood, Canvas
Health CEO. “More importantly, your support of this event enables Canvas Health
to continue casting lifelines of hope to people struggling in our community. We
encourage everyone to come out and have a great time.”
2017
Valley Vine & Harvest Throwdown sponsors include: Berwald Roofing Company,
Inc.; Renewal by Andersen; 3M; Arkco Sales; Mercury Trading Company; RBC Wealth
Management; Eckberg Lammers, P.C.; Lake Elmo Bank; Rivertown Inn; Deborah
Zuelke; The Credit Department; First State Bank & Trust; Marketing
Incentive Resources, Inc.; Ahola, Mack & Associates, Ltd.; M.J.’s Contract
Appliance, Inc.
Tickets
for this event may be purchased at www.CanvasHealth.org/Events.
The
mission of Canvas Health is to bring hope, healing, and recovery to the lives
of people we serve. Canvas Health provides services to people struggling with
mental illness, substance use, crisis, unstable housing, and trauma. As a
nonprofit community mental health agency, Canvas Health offers over 35 programs
at seven metro clinics, as well as a statewide phone and text crisis line. The
agency acts as a safety net provider, serving those with complex needs who may
not otherwise be able to afford care. Programs include crisis, psychiatry,
counseling, chemical health, and social service programs. For more information,
visit the website here.
