The stately rotunda of the Bob Bullock Texas State History
Museum was recently the setting for The Big Chill, hosted by the Austin FoodBlogger Alliance to benefit Meals on Wheels and More.
An enthusiastic crowd of the culinary community’s biggest
fans had the opportunity to cool their well-turned heels while enjoying live
music, sipping innovative cocktails and nibbling the best bites the city
offers. The spacious venue allowed
sampling without lines, and the opportunity to mingle and converse with several
local chefs, who proudly presented a collection of impressive, ample nibbles.
“It was a privilege raising money for an Austin institution
like Meals on Wheels and More. All of
our tasting sponsors were outstanding, and we were especially privileged to get
the exclusive first taste of St. Philip (opening soon),” shared AFBA
Philanthropy Chair, Christy Horton.
Those tastes came from some top hot spots and favorite local
products including The Carillon, Celtic Seafare, Dolce Neve, Auguste
Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, Finn & Porter, NadaMoo!, Noble Sandwich
Company, No Va Kitchen & Bar, Pleasant Storage Room, The Soup Peddler Real
Food & Juice Bar, St. Philip, Swift’s Attic, Thai Fresh, and Trace.
Sweet
and savories, alike, were paired with chilly cocktails—“The Dude”,
an Orange White Russian with Chameleon Cold-Brew Coffee, and
“Pop”tails , featuring Good Pop’s
Strawberry Lemonade and Hibiscus Mint flavors.
Sponsors of the event included Central Market, HCB Health, Greenling, 505 Southwestern, Chameleon
Coffee, Cooking Planit, Kruger Diamond Jewelers, Byte, and Uptown Modern.
Guests also had the opportunity to bid on a variety of artistic,
experiential, and service-related Silent Auction items donated by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Arro, Austin Eats
Food Tours, BeeHive, Benjamin Beau Salon, Benold’s Jewelers, Calvin’s Fine
Jewelers, East Side Café, Esty Skin Studio, Fail, Finn & Porter, Froyoyo
Frozen Yogurt, Let’s Gel, Inc (makers of GelPro), Greenling, Hotel St. Cecilia,
Lick, Posh Foodie, T1 Tequila, Ranch Road Design & Printing, Inc., Ritual
Salon + Spa, Savory Spice - North Austin, Serve Gourmet, Skorpil Photography, Smudge
Publishing, Solid Gold, Tecolote Farm, Twin Liquors, Uncle Julio's, Uncommon
Objects, and Urban Betty.
Kathryn Hutchison, president of the Austin Food Blogger
Alliance, had this to share about the group’s philanthropic involvement in the
community, and Meals on Wheels and More, the benefactor of the organization’s
most recent event:
AFBA
has a strong history of supporting philanthropic organizations, through
fundraisers like The Big Chill, volunteer days, and social media awareness
campaigns. Since the group was founded in 2011, our bloggers have supported the
Capital Area Food Bank, the Sustainable Food Center, ARC of the Capital Area,
Bake a Wish, Safe Place, Slow Food and many other organizations.
Meals
on Wheels was a natural choice for partnership for our 2014 fundraising gala,
since they are doing such important work here in Austin. As food bloggers, we
have a unique voice and role in the larger Austin community. It's a privilege
to use the collective clout of our members to benefit organizations like Meals
on Wheels and More.
Meals on Wheels and More seeks to “nourish and enrich the
lives of the homebound and other people in need through programs that promote
dignity and independent living.”
Volunteer and donor opportunities can be found by visiting their website
at http://www.mealsonwheelsandmore.org/
Tickets are now on sale for the Austin Food Blogger Alliance
upcoming conference, Byte of Texas, September 27 -28. Information can be found on their website, at
http://austinfoodbloggers.org/conference/.
That looks like lots of fun. Are there any other events coming up?
ReplyDeleteIt WAS a lot of fun. Check out the AFBA website link, above, to learn more about upcoming events. Thank you for stopping by, Toni!
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