A wine pairing contest was held at the Orland Park Civic Center Friday May 24, 2013 for Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest (www.treasurechest.org), with guests being treated to wine, dinner, and art. Hosted by The Rotary Club of Oak Forest, Holistic Happenings Healing Center in Tinley Park, and Rago & Associates of New Lenox, it was a great night of friendly competition between some of the local businesses who offer wine for purchase. Contestants were given the menu of the food being served from Polonia Catering, and it was their job to select a wine that best paired with the dinner. For red wine, Granite City Food & Brewery went up against Little Joe’s Famous Pizza and Jenny’s@191South, in a pairing showdown of wine served with sliced roast sirloin of beef, baked ham, and mostaccioli with marinara. For white wine, Jenny’s@191 South and Little Joe’s Famous Pizza took on Chef Klaus’ Bier Stube, as they paired up their best for fettuccini alfredo with grilled chicken, fresh polish sausage w/ sauerkraut, and fettuccini alfredo with broccoli & mushrooms. Each entrée was served with their respected potatoes and vegetables, and guest sampled a variety of wines while they enjoyed their dinner. Guests were allowed to sample either red or white only, and vote for their favorite wine that best paired with the meal. When the votes were tallied, it was Granite City Food and Brewery who won ‘the best red wine pairing’ and Little Joe’s who won ‘the best white wine pairing’, with Little Joe’s winning with an organic wine. The Silent Auction Art Exhibition showcased five young artists from the area, and featured over 25 pieces of art that guests could bid on and win. Artists included Ayden’s Gifts, Anna Celander Artwork, Chalks By Matthew, Christina Snider, and Melissa Ellsworth. Artists donated 25% of their sales to Treasure Chest, bringing in $450 in donations. In addition to great food and wine, two treasure chests with $400 in gift cards in each were raffled off. Guests also participated in a grape pull, paying for a chance to pull a red grape out of a container of green grapes, to win a bottle of wine to take home. Music was provided by Peg Yunker of Crown Point Entertainment, playing a variety of jazzy hits throughout the evening. Colleen Kisel was presented with a check for $1825 at the Oak Forest Rotary Club meeting June 4, with the proceeds furthering the mission of Treasure Chest by “providing comfort and distraction from painful procedures to children and teens who have been diagnosed with cancer, by providing gifts from a treasure chest.” For more information on how to support the Treasure Chest Foundation, please visit www.treasurechest.org.
Tim Howe Event Coordinator (708) 244-3906
