Planning a donated dinner for eight

[mizducky]

My church is going to be holding a silent-auction fundraiser event entitled "Dining for Dollars," in which all auction items are to be food events of various sorts. This joys my heart no end, because I used to offer my cooking services all the time as auction fodder for other organizations. But now comes the first fun--and challenging--part: trying to decide what kind of dining experience to offer.

Since my place is just totally inadequate for hosting people for a dinner, I'm going to do what I've done in previous similar adventures, which is to specify that the dinner I'm offering is to be cooked and served in the winning bidder's home (or other location of their choice, which they are in charge of providing). Then I make like a personal chef, showing up on their doorstep on the designated day with all required foodstuffs (and any extra implements that they don't already own), and cook and serve the meal. Having done this before, I know I can handle six to eight diners without too much fuss. So I've got the location and the general size of the event figured out. But I still have to decide what the heck to cook.

Again, having done this before, I know it really helps the auction item to "go" if it has an interesting and unifying theme. And I also know that for my own entertainment and ease, it helps if the dinner revolves around at least a couple of items I do well and enjoy doing. Also, since this is for a west coast Unitarian Universalist church, I know I'm working with a demographic that actively enjoys multi-cultural experiences, probably has some reasonably sophisticated tastes in food, and also probably has some interest in "healthy" cuisines.

The flyer soliciting donations for this event had a whole slew of suggested themes, everything from ethnic dinners to a sailing/picnic adventure to "food for the body/food for the soul: a quiet evening of regenerating food and meditation", to dinners centered around various holidays from around the world. So I've got *lots* of latitude.

Donated dinners I've done in the past, for other groups, that were real hits:

--Pacific rim fusion cuisine dinner (featuring grilled marinated salmon steaks with a ceviche starter)

--Italian dinner (featuring pasta puttanesca plus a big antipasto)

--Vegetarian gourmet dinner (leaning heavily on the "Vegetarian Epicure" books)

I could always do one of those again. But where would be the fun in that?

Right now, I'm playing around with two different ideas that really appeal to me:

--When I asked myself what dish was calling me to cook it for this kind of event, the first thing that popped into my head was risotto. I could see building a lovely meal around a big main-course risotto, with a really nice starter, salad, and dessert to round it out. And it would be a relatively easy meal to pull off.

--I've been wanting to do a UU version of a Passover seder for some time now, and I bet there'd be a whole bunch of church members who would really light up at the chance to participate in one. And it would give me a chance to try and make some decent gefilte fish from scratch. On the downside, I think this would be a bunch more work than the risotto dinner idea--seders are long intricate meals, even if I do a simplified non-doctrinaire meal for the liberal UU crowd, and I'd possibly be involved in helping teach the ritual and cultural stuff to folks not familiar with it.

And that's all the further I've thought about this so far.

I've got until October 23 to turn in my official form, but I figured it would be fun to run this whole thing by you, my fellow food freaks, to get your comments and suggestions.

[racheld]

We still donate one every year to an October auction for a local Eldercare facility. I do salad prep, chopping, composing, dressing-making, dessert-making, etc., ahead and carry to winner's home or club.

Our most requested choices are: Beef Tenderloin, marinated 12 hours in Hubby's secret marinade, then cooked to gorgeous ebony-surfaced perfection falling in melting-tender rosy slices from the knife. He transports one of our Webers, sets it up unobtrusively out of the way in the back area, and cooks it while I do all the kitchen work in their kitchen, and the guests enjoy hors d' and cocktails.

The meat rests during the salad and/or a second course of asparagus or pasta or artichokes, then dinner is plated and served.

The other favorite is Cornish Hens, stuffed or not, depending on the season and hosts' taste. Sides are seasonal, ranging from good old Southern cornbread dressing, fresh cranberry compote, acorn squash puree, broccoli rabe and red onion saute, to risotto, pilaf, potatoes Anna, or standard mashed potatoes with all the toppings of a loaded baked, along with any green vegetable in any form requested..

Salad course is usually a composed salad, with several prettily arranged components, or perhaps a butter-lettuce, bacon, orange and toasted pecan one with citrus vinaigrette.

I'm lucky that DD is a dessert-maker extraordinaire; she can whip up anything from profiteroles to a croquembouche to lemon cheesecake to chocolate truffle cake in a couple of hours, along with carved melons full of fruit, and any kind of decorated cake or torte needed.

And your timing is perfect, just right for settling into wonderful Autumn dishes and decorations, with that spicy nip in the air and the colors so beautiful.

Your Seder idea is super---I've ALWAYS wanted to attend one.

[Smithy]

Maybe I should ask this in the Jewish food thread instead, but it's pertinent here, now: why Passover, at this time of year? Could you do the same thing on a Yom Kippur framework instead? Is there a Yom Kippur equivalent of the Seder?

Anyway, great idea. It's funny, I used to toy with the idea of offering up a meal, or a dessert-of-the-month, or some such, for a charity auction. I never actually did it, mind, but I thought about it. I find that the more I get into cooking and the more I learn, the more exacting I become - and the *less* likely to volunteer for something like that. Good on ya, mizducky.

All your ideas sound great. You haven't mentioned Indian food, but you could take a culinary tour of India and provide a wide variety of foods, interesting and healthful.

[Katie Nell]

Maybe it's too simple for you, but I think a Fall Splendors menu would be really fun! (Also, don't know when the meal would be served.) I'm thinking butternut squash (really good with the risotto,) lots of apples, hot cider, etc. Maybe that's just what I've been craving lately though!

[monavano]

I like the idea of fall also. Ideas that are comming now include pumpkin ravioli with sage butter, crushed hazelnuts and ammoretti cookies. Desert something that revolves around Mexican hot chocolate.

To those of you who've done this before, how exactly does it work? I figure your time and skills are donated and I assume that the food cost is covered in the winning donation and the rest goes to charity?

How much have you seen donated for dinner for 6-8?

How many courses are usually served (I'm assuming it's akin to a tasting menu).

I have a beautiful space for dining and entertaining and am very interested in this idea, as a volunteer cook and hostess. I can see how much joy it could bring one both creating in the kitchen, and helping others.

Thanks

[mizducky]

Maybe I should ask this in the Jewish food thread instead, but it's pertinent here, now:  why Passover, at this time of year?  Could you do the same thing on a Yom Kippur framework instead?  Is there a Yom Kippur equivalent of the Seder?

Oops! I forgot to mention that, although the auction action is taking place now (actually, the planning/soliciting of volunteer hosts is starting right now, the auction itself is over a couple of Sundays in November), the actual date/time of delivering on the dinners is up to the seller, in negotiation with the winning bidder. Lots of flexibility that way. So--if I do go with the Passover seder, I can auction it off at the November event, then deliver on the meal in the normal timeframe (which will be next April)--plenty of time to gear up.

There is a tradition of a post-Yom Kippur break-the-fast meal, though I don't recall hearing of anyone elaborating it into a formal Seder ritual.

All your ideas sound great.  You haven't mentioned Indian food, but you could take a culinary tour of India and provide a wide variety of foods, interesting and healthful.

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Y'know, I thought about doing an Indian dinner--I adore working with all the spices and such. Doing some kind of pan-Asian meal also occurred to me. And with both of these meals it would be way easy to offer a vegetarian option, which I bet would be a big draw with a significant segment of the congregation. Hmmmm ... add those onto the short list of ideas.

[Busboy]

MizD --

My wife and I -- after donationg a delicious but endless 7-course haute cuisine dinner (bought by someone we didn't like ) Have settled in on french Bistro dinners. Not as creative as some of the themes you've picked, but it gives you and your guests a lot of leeway, it can be vaguely romantic and a lot of the heavy lifting can be done in advance. It's also a chance to throw a lot of courses at folks, which makes them feel like they're getting their money's worth (hors d'oevres, cheese, extended dessert, salad, whatever). Plus we cook the stuff pretty good.

We also put on chef's jackets that my FIL bought us as presents, lay the service on thick and bring one special bottle of wine -- usually a sauterne.

Monovano --

We pay for the food ourselves, I think that's part of the bargain. Our dinners have gone for between $250-350, but our school is not nearly as wealthy as others in the area. They people definitely get their money's worth. As I posted above, what we really do is a three-course meal, with all the extra add-ons that, hopefully, make it into an event.

[mizducky]

To those of you who've done this before, how exactly does it work? I figure your time and skills are donated and I assume that the food cost is covered in the winning donation and the rest goes to charity?

How much have you seen donated for dinner for 6-8?

How many courses are usually served (I'm assuming it's akin to a tasting menu).

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I dunno about others, but in the meal-auctions I've participated in before, the donor donates it all--time, labor, materials, and (usually) location too--and the entirety of the winning bidder's money goes to the designated charity (subtracting only for the overhead, if any, of running the auction). As I said, I don't have a suitable location to donate, so I'm resorting to specifying that the meal gets done in the winning bidder's home, and the person organizing this latest auction is totally okay with that.

As to the structure/extent of the meal, it can be just about anything--and one assumes that in the auction the bidding will reflect the relative size/expense/glitz of the meal on offer as well as its interest/popularity factor. Heh--that's another reason why the seder's attractive to me: yeah, it's a lot of work, but the ingredients tend to be (relatively!) inexpensive compared to other things one could do.

In previous auctions for other groups, my six-to-eight person full dinners have pulled about a couple hundred bucks in winning bids. I was a little regretful that they didn't go for more, but that was a function of a live auction run by enthusiastic amateurs as opposed to experienced auctioneers, and it really didn't *bug* me--I just felt sorry that the organization in question didn't benefit quite as much as I hoped it would. What the heck. The meals themselves were ever so much fun. One in particular, the winning bidder had a *wonderful* wine collection, which he proceeded to be very generous with--including fueling up the cook as she readied their repast. Woo hoo!!!

[mizducky]

MizD --

My wife and I -- after donationg a delicious but endless 7-course haute cuisine dinner (bought by someone we didn't like  )  Have settled in on french Bistro dinners.  Not as creative as some of the themes you've picked, but it gives you and your guests a lot of leeway, it can be vaguely romantic and a lot of the heavy lifting can be done in advance.  It's also a chance to throw a lot of courses at folks, which makes them feel like they're getting their money's worth (hors d'oevres, cheese, extended dessert, salad, whatever).  Plus we cook the stuff pretty good. 

We also put on chef's jackets that my FIL bought us as presents, lay the service on thick and bring one special bottle of wine -- usually a sauterne.

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heheheheh -- yeah, one of the hazards of doing these things is that you have no control over who winds up purchasing the meal. Fortunately, I have yet to run into anyone in my congregation that drives me crazy--but then food get-togethers, like traveling, can be one of those social crucibles in which you discover heretofore-unexpected weirdnesses in other people.

There was another meal I donated in this way, the final half-hour of which was disrupted when half the diners unceremoniously picked up and moved to the TV room to watch a football game (and it wasn't meant to be a football-themed meal). Like anything, ya just gotta go with the flow, I guess. Although--now here's another advantage of going with the seder idea: it's understood at the git-go that everyone is supposed to hang out for the whole meal, that's the point of the program. I think I'm talking myself into the seder concept...

[Busboy]

To those of you who've done this before, how exactly does it work? I figure your time and skills are donated and I assume that the food cost is covered in the winning donation and the rest goes to charity?

How much have you seen donated for dinner for 6-8?

How many courses are usually served (I'm assuming it's akin to a tasting menu).

←

In previous auctions for other groups, my six-to-eight person full dinners have pulled about a couple hundred bucks in winning bids. I was a little regretful that they didn't go for more, but that was a function of a live auction run by enthusiastic amateurs as opposed to experienced auctioneers, and it really didn't *bug* me--I just felt sorry that the organization in question didn't benefit quite as much as I hoped it would. What the heck.

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I always take it personally when my meals don't get the price I think they deserve. But I'm thin-skinned that way.

One other consideration: cleanup. I try not to wreck the kitchen so badly that I can't get out in a reasonable period of time and I don't leave a mess. That's one reason to try to press an assistant into the effort: being able to clean (or serve) while the next course is cooking.

[Priscilla]

I love this sort of donation. It is good to see it going on all over the place!

We auctioned off a dinner as part of a fundraiser benefitting the PTA of the little neighborhood elementary school. I don't remember its winning bid exactly, something over $200, a respectable amount considering the general modesty of the event.

Luckily some neighbors we like bought it, and we had a very good time putting it on. It took place at our home, (the weather allowed for eating outdoors), and we supplied all materials and labor. Our son, who was then 11 or 12, did a fantastic job serving. The guests were so impressed he got his own separate thank-you note afterwards.

We had to appeal to a variety of tastes and eating levels, and ended up with a menu of chicken saltimbocca, mushroom risotto, asparagus prepared some way, butter lettuce salad with grapefruit vinaigrette. I know there were individual peach tarte-tatin-type tarts served with Alain Ducasse's sour cream sorbet, only we infused its simple syrup with basil.

Italian mineral water and nexpensive wine throughout, and our homemade arancello for afters.

All in all an extremely pleasant way to support a local cause.

[jgm]

Other possibilities that I can think of, might be a New Orleans theme, in tribute to all of the wonderful things people are scared might not come back after Katrina. Something like this might have considerable emotional appeal, and might bring in more money for the organization.

Also, and you may not have enough time to do this, but how about a sort of "Food of Christmas Past" idea, including things like plum pudding, goose, and other things that many people have always heard about but probably not tasted?

[CaliPoutine]

I just donated a dinner to my partner's charity golf tournament. It went for 110$ for a dinner for 4. I offered a choice of 2 meals. Zinfandel pot roast, with appropriate starch, composed salad of butter lettuce, blue cheese, roasted pear and carmelized pecans and either a choc. cake or coconut cream pie. Second option was ceasar salad with polenta croutons and sun dried tomatoes, chicken cacciatore and tiramasu. The winner picked the latter.

My partner also gave a co-worker a dinner for a xmas gift exchange( last year). I just heard this week that said co-worker( now retired) wants to redeem gift.

I'm still waiting on their choice.

[mizducky]

Other possibilities that I can think of, might be a New Orleans theme, in tribute to all of the wonderful things people are scared might not come back after Katrina.  Something like this might have considerable emotional appeal, and might bring in more money for the organization.

Also, and you may not have enough time to do this, but how about a sort of "Food of Christmas Past" idea, including things like plum pudding, goose, and other things that many people have always heard about but probably not tasted?

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Ooooh, more fun options! New Orleans food definitely lends itself well to parties and to feeding a crowd. And I can manage a fairly decent roux.

The Christmas Past thing could be a lot of fun too--there's even a sorta-kinda Unitarian tie-in, inasmuch as Charles Dickens is on record as at least a Unitarian sympathizer if not an actual member. And a whole bunch of modern UUs are into Neo-Paganism, so styling the dinner as a Yule feast would appeal to that contingent. But as I have no experience whatsoever with those olde English Yule dishes, experimenting on guests at a fundraiser might not be the most prudent idea. (Fighting mightily to avoid all jokes about cooking my goose ... and obviously failing ... )

[handmc]

I do this every year. I tell them to pick the country, let me know if they have any dislikes or allergies, then I pick what to cook. A protein or two, veggie, soup salad and dessert. I tend to stay away from the breads because I am a baking whimp. I try to buy some music from the country, a couple travel posters to leave behind, a copy of the menu and a bottle of the local wine or beer and Liquor, i.e., grapa for an after dinner drink. The bottle comes home with me.

I always have fun, even when the dinners are bought by the not so nice, it actually provided the chance to develop a friendship.

[TPO]

Such good ideas here! I particularly like the ideas of a fall meal or an Indian meal.

Another thing that plays on the fall theme would be a meal featuring all locally grown foods. That would allow you to show people in how much good food is right around them, and how much better it is for our health and our environment when we buy things locally. Obviously there would be a few items that would not be produced locally, but if you could feature a meat from an organic farm along with some local veggies and such, it could be quite an experience for the bidders.

I must admit I have never heard of this as a donated item. I just might be inspired to offer something similar in the auctions I help out with.

[*Deborah*]

This might be too many courses/dishes, but how about one course or dish from each continent? "Around the World in 8 Dishes" or what have you (wait, how many continents are there again? )

You can have a nice variety of different things that way.

[mizducky]

This might be too many courses/dishes, but how about one course or dish from each continent? "Around the World in 8 Dishes" or what have you (wait, how many continents are there again? )

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I believe there's seven--Europe, Africa, Asia/Russia, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. All of which would be at the very least intriguing (roast penguin, anyone? How about roast kangaroo? )

Actually, I had an Eeeeeeevil thought for a donated dinner, but I bet it wouldn't get very far--an All Offal Dinner based on Fergus Henderson's work. I'd sure as heck have fun, but somehow I fear I'd be one of the few people in the congregation who'd be into it.

[Shalmanese]

I think if you want to increase the bidding, put up wither a sample menu or a menu from a past event (play around in word a bit to fancy it up) as well as a couple of photos from a previous event. My thinking if I were to bid in an auction would be that the chef cooking for me would be average to above-average at best. Knowing that I'm being cooked for by an exceptional chef would push up my bidding significantly.

[Trishiad]

I liked your risotto idea. I was thinking Spanish tapas might be nice and kinda fun. A Spanish theme has so many options and is all fairly simple but seems elaborate. Easy to pick up a good Spanish wine too.

[KatieLoeb]

I believe there's seven--Europe, Africa, Asia/Russia, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. All of which would be at the very least intriguing (roast penguin, anyone? How about roast kangaroo?)

Yes - you're correct about the continents, but honestly, other than roast penguin I can't think of a single thing that grows or lives in Antarctica other than the penguins. Or you could consider the ice in the pre-dinner cocktails the Antarctic contribution. So that leaves six. You could think of a famous dish from three or four continents and do the wine from the remaining ones. And since Vegemite sandwiches probably wouldn't impress anyone, I'd suggest sticking with wine from Down Under instead.

[DRColby]

Ellen,

I think it was after your departure from the greater PNW, Cathy and I did a mushroom hunt with a picnic attached to it as an auction item. Three women, who will remain nameless, bought the event.

All went well until we had a flat tire while hunting mushrooms. The three women chatted up a storm while I larbored away changng the tire on an old back logging road.

As I recall we feature all mushroom dishes for the picnic. Pickled chanterelles, a pate' a soup, nice French wine etc. It went over well and I would have done it again execpt I failed UUism.

Maybe I'll do one for Habitat.

Anyhow, you're in a nice-weather part of the country, why not a picnic at Balboa Park or somewhere around the ocean?

Dave

[mizducky]

Ellen,

  I think it was after your departure from the greater PNW, Cathy and I did a mushroom hunt with a picnic attached to it as an auction item.  Three women, who will remain nameless, bought the event.

  All went well until we had a flat tire  while hunting mushrooms.  The three women chatted up a storm while I larbored away  changng the tire on an old back logging road.

  As I recall we feature all mushroom dishes for the picnic.  Pickled chanterelles, a pate' a soup, nice French wine etc.  It went over well and I would have done it again execpt I failed UUism.

Maybe I'll do one for Habitat.

  Anyhow, you're in a nice-weather part of the country, why not a picnic at Balboa Park or somewhere around the ocean?

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Re: the ladies who lunched (but didn't change tires)--oh dear! But that all-mushroom picnic--that sounds really lovely. As does the idea of a picnic in general--plus it handles the problem of event location, and involves all prepared-in-advance foods. Hmmmm ... I'm gonna have a tough time deciding here, folks!

[Katie Nell]

I believe there's seven--Europe, Africa, Asia/Russia, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. All of which would be at the very least intriguing (roast penguin, anyone? How about roast kangaroo?)

Yes - you're correct about the continents, but honestly, other than roast penguin I can't think of a single thing that grows or lives in Antarctica other than the penguins. Or you could consider the ice in the pre-dinner cocktails the Antarctic contribution. So that leaves six. You could think of a famous dish from three or four continents and do the wine from the remaining ones. And since Vegemite sandwiches probably wouldn't impress anyone, I'd suggest sticking with wine from Down Under instead.

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How about gourmet sno-cones? That could be really fun!

Mizducky... let us know what you end up choosing! Please!

Edited September 30, 2005 by Katie Nell (log)

[*Deborah*]

I believe there's seven--Europe, Africa, Asia/Russia, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. All of which would be at the very least intriguing (roast penguin, anyone? How about roast kangaroo?)

Yes - you're correct about the continents, but honestly, other than roast penguin I can't think of a single thing that grows or lives in Antarctica other than the penguins. Or you could consider the ice in the pre-dinner cocktails the Antarctic contribution. So that leaves six. You could think of a famous dish from three or four continents and do the wine from the remaining ones. And since Vegemite sandwiches probably wouldn't impress anyone, I'd suggest sticking with wine from Down Under instead.

←

How about gourmet sno-cones? That could be really fun!

Mizducky... let us know what you end up choosing! Please!

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North America: Dungeness Crab amuse

Australia: Prawns in a lime and ginger glaze

Asia: Indonesian cucumber salad

Europe: Risotto

Antarctica: granité

Africa: a Tagine

South America: Tres Leches cake or something with Dulce de Leche