Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Charity Dinner, part 4

Without much thought, I agreed that my husband and I would put on a charity dinner for the Boy Scouts.  Then I panicked.  Then I freaked out.  Then I formulated a plan.

The Noho Bistro was kind enough to donate space for the dinner. Publix and La Cense Beef donated food for the cause, but we are still going to need some wine.

I have to admit it. So far, everyone I had approached simply “handed over the keys,” but not so with wine. I thought this would have been the easy one. That’s until I walked into Vintage Wine Cellars.

I had never been to Vintage Wine before. I knew of it and had wanted to go because I had heard how wonderful their selection was, from every day wine, weekend wine, to wine for special occasions, they had it. Not to mention an awesome selection of microbrews. I found quite a few bottles that I needed to have, all within my under $15 budget (I’m not a wealthy woman). I poked around a bit and ooed and ahhed over some very luxury selections that I promised I would buy as soon as I had my Maserati.

Michael (a.k.a The Wine Guru on Channel 8’s DayTime) greeted me. I explained the dinner and asked for his recommendation. I had succumbed to the fact that I would have to buy the wine.

“I was an Eagle Scout.” Michael stated. “I’m going to give you the wine.”

I looked at him a little strangely, I’m sure, because I was just taken back by the fact that this man would just give me 12 bottles of vino based on my story. For all he knew, I was pulling a scam for free wine.

“Are you sure?’ I meagerly asked.

“Yes. It’s for the Boy Scouts.” He replied.

I now had it all. The venue, the food, the wine, and the staff - all through the goodness of others.

The dinner itself will be a breeze, right?

Stay tuned.

To be continued…

Charity Dinner, part 3

Without much thought, I agreed that my husband and I would put on a charity dinner for the Boy Scouts.  Then I panicked.  Then I freaked out.  Then I formulated a plan.

I would beg and plead with everyone I knew in the food industry. I suspected I would have to trade my soul for the help, but I was willing, it’s for the Boy Scouts after all.

The Noho Bistro was kind enough to donate space for the dinner.  Now I need some food to cook.

I’ve been buying La Cense Beef for a while now. It’s beef that tastes like beef. New York Strips that are robust with deep flavor and Ribeyes that are fork tender. Awhile back I did a column for the Tribune all about glorious beef and where to buy it. Through this, I met Laura Baddish, La Cense Beefs PR rep. She and I hit it off instantly. We spent a good three hours just chit chatting over coffee while she was down for the Rum Festival (one of her clients was being represented). During our conversation, I mentioned the Boy Scout dinner. Without a hitch she asked, “Would you like La Cense to donate the beef for the Boy Scouts?”

I could have kissed her. Like clock work, Laura had 30 individually packaged petit sirloins at my doorstep the night before the dinner.

***

My husband spends the majority of his life in grocery stores (it’s a Personal Chef thing). Together, we have shopped at just about every grocery store in Tampa. One store, hands down, is the friendliest, the cleanest, the most efficient, and offers a great selection. Because of this, he shops at this store whenever possible.

Enter Publix Store #0582 at the corner of Habana and Hillsborough Ave.

Just to give you a glimpse as to how fantastic the people are at this store, the Produce Manager; David, takes his personal, company mandated break at the same time every morning just to take a customer (a little old lady who can not drive) to the hospital just down the road, so that she can visit with her terminally ill husband.

Okay, I know. You’re a little stunned. I was too. I didn’t even know people like that still existed! (And yes ladies, he has a girlfriend.)

Now top on that this store has amazing produce, an extremely helpful deli and bakery, a very fresh seafood counter, a great meat case selection, cashiers who smile and actually speak to you, managers who are helpful and visible at all times and the 15+ rows of everything else one may ever need. Have a special order item? No biggie, they handle it with a smile. Need a suggestion? Ask anyone. I have witnessed on several occasions, stock boys and girls, helping customers choose the right product. Yeah, they actually know and CARE what they are selling.

When I approached David about the charity dinner, with out a hick up he responded, “I’m sure Alex (the store manager) would be fine with it. It’s for the Boy Scouts.” James, the Assistant Store Manager came over. “Oh, I’m sure it will be fine. It’s for the Boy Scouts, right?”

Sure enough, Alex had no problem. “I’ll leave a message for David, what ever you need.”  These guys were so easy going about it that I wasn’t really sure they had even agreed.

Venue?  Check.

Food?  Check.

This is just going too well.  But I still need some wine.

To be continued…

Charity Dinner, part 2

Without much thought, I agreed that my husband and I would put on a charity dinner for the Boy Scouts.  Then I panicked.  Then I freaked out.  Then I formulated a plan.

I would beg and plead with everyone I knew in the food industry. I suspected I would have to trade my soul for the help, but I was willing, it’s for the Boy Scouts after all.

First of all, I needed a place.  So I called my friends at The Noho Bistro, Jessica and Tina.

If you’re not aware of The Noho Bistro, you need to make plans tout-suite. They serve an amazingly delicious, casual yet elegant lunch menu and offer catering. Their menu is seasonal, which is just plain awesome. Greg and I equate Jessica and Tina’s (both Chefs) cooking style to well-trained, classically French taught chefs who know what they are doing in the kitchen. Rumor has it they will be opening for dinner in the fall, and I can guarantee these ladies are going to make SoHo restaurants work for their money. I am still raving over the Duck Confit Salad with Pancetta and Cranberries I had last fall. The Pancetta was baked slightly, forming nouveau rose buds. It was gorgeous and divine. Not to mention their Bison Burgers SHOULD have won the Creative Loafing Best Burger Competition.

On with the begging.

“Sure, we’ll pair up with you. It’s for the Boy Scouts,” stated Jessica.

It can’t be this easy?  Can it? 

If you plan to dine soon at The Noho Bistro, please tell ‘em how great they are for donating their space.

I’ll still need food and wine, but at least I have the place.

To be continued…

A long time ago if someone such as the Boy Scouts were holding a special event, the town would rally behind them.  It was for the kids after all.  Today, it’s a little bit harder to get the helping hand so many organizations need. Not because people aren’t willing, but because most people can’t.

With $5 a gallon gas prices looming over our heads and the trickle-down effect colliding with food, clothing, and transportation (ya know, the necessities) who could blame anyone for stating “I’m sorry. I’d like to help, but I just can’t.”

I received such a call a little over a month ago.

“I was wondering if your husband might be interested in cooking a charity dinner for 25 celebrities who will be donating their time?  A thank you dinner.” Asked Ted Johnson, Program Director of the Gulf Ridge Council of Boy Scouts of America.

Silence. Panic.

In my mind I was thinking, of course we would like to help the Boy Scouts, after all Greg was an Eagle Scout. Oh sure, his parent’s bribed him with a car to do it, but he did and still uses the lessons learned.

“Of course. He would be happy to help.” I replied.

Now the real panic set in. Many people don’t know that for events such as a charity dinner for 25 people, everything is donated. The staff, the chairs, the napkins, the food, right down to the water and it all costs someone money somewhere.

I began to feel as though I had gotten over my head. How will we pay for the food? What about the wine? Who will be willing to shut their restaurant down on a Friday night for 25 celebrities that haven’t seen the silver screen in many, many years?

I would love to have the cash flow to drop a few thousand in the name of charity, but my fiscal status just doesn’t allow for such humanitarian kindness.

Luckily, I have friends.

To be continued…

No doubt many of you have heard about the attack on the young woman returning books to the public library in Bloomingdale. It’s a crime so vicious, ugly and senseless that there are simply no sides to take and no issues to debate.

Unfortunately, it looks like that might not turn out to be the case in the aftermath. Here’s hoping that this doesn’t turn into another moral, ethical and, ultimately, political football, like the Terri Schiavo fiasco. The victim and her family have certainly suffered enough without that circus coming to town again.

In the meantime, while we’re all still being civil with one another and are at least in agreement that these people are facing unimaginably horrific circumstances over which they have no control, at least we can help.

SunTrust Bank has established the “Bloomingdale Library Assault Victim Fund.” Call a local SunTrust Bank branch and tell them that you would like to contribute. Please spread the word about this young woman and her family, so that she is not forgotten, and let others know how they can help, too.

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could grab a spare bicycle at The Pier in St. Pete, and ride it to Tropicana Field for a ballgame, where someone else could use that same bike to get to the Dali Museum?  Once the Rays finish beating the Yankees, you could pick up another spare bicycle outside, and ride over to Baywalk, and put it in the bike rack with a handful of other bikes available to anyone to use for free.

Awesome idea, huh?  And the (turn down audio before clicking!) Green Bike Initiative wants to do just that:

Seeking to fill a niche need within our community, St. Pete’s Bike GREEN initiative was launched in March 2008 by cycling enthusiasts around Pinellas County. Having seen successful Public Utility Bike (PUB) programs in a number of European and American cities, founders Andrew Blikken and Brent Bruns decided the time had come for their own community to benefit from such an initiative.

It will never work.

The Tampa Downtown Partnership tried a similar program 10 years ago.  All 50 of the hideous orange bikes were stolen within a week.

Even Bike GREEN knows it.  In an interview with Big 13, BikeGreen.info founder Brent Bruns expects problems:

“We’re anticipating a thousand bikes to be stolen each month for six months, which is why we are launching with 8,000.”

Holy cow! - You’re telling me that you are going to flood downtown St. Pete with 8,000 green bicycles?  Imagine that for a second.  And then you expect 1,000 to be stolen each month for six months!  What happens in month 7?  Do people get bored with stealing bicycles every day?

And just how on earth are they raising money for 8,000 bicycles?  The obvious - they are selling handfuls of Altoids for $.25 each from vending machines.

This has success written all over it.

Tedd Webb and the Famunda All Stars are throwing a party to help out the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

The Famunda All Stars are staging Koncert For Kiddz II Saturday night, May 17th at The Ritz-Ybor at the corner of 7th Ave and 15th Street in Ybor City. The Famundas will welcome local celebs such as Belinda Womack, Michael Clayton of the Tampa Bay Bucs, as well as TV giants like Brendan McGloughlin, Mike Deeson, pro wrestler Lanny Poffo, and newspaper elite Ernest Hooper, Steve Persall, and Bob Ross to sing for the benefit of The Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Bay News 9’s Jen Holloway, and Fox 13’s Charley Belcher will MC.

Tickets are on sale now, contact Tanya Loira at 813-839-9393. Corporate tables are $500 for 6 seats, while General Admission is $30.

This will be a great time, and I plan on hanging out there at the Ritz Theater in Ybor for a while, and partying with all the local celebrities: Michael Clayton of the Bucs, Sharon Taylor, Jeff Fisher, Belinda Womack, Lanny Poffo, Mike Deeson, Jerry Petuck, Brian Blair & The Oreos, Steve Persall, Ernest Hooper, Bob Ross, Jen Holloway, Charley Belcher, and more.

That’s this Saturday evening. The silent auction begins at 6pm, and the musical acts start around 8pm. As you can see be the list of guests above, there’s no telling what is going to happen.

Once they are finished, the Johnny G. Lyon Band starring Tommy Duncan is playing across the street at the Blue Shark, and you can be sure that we are going to party the rest of the night away there.

If you haven’t been to Ybor in a while, Saturday night is an excellent opportunity to reaquaint yourself. See you there!

My band, the JGLB will be playing two charity gigs this weekend. Proceeds from Sunday’s party at Hungry Harry’s benefit The Spring, and on Saturday, we are doing the Worlds Largest Hurricane Expo & Party (see info below) to benefit hurricane relief efforts of Krewes Kare and Angel Flight Southeast. I encourage you to come out and party with us this weekend, and make sure you come up and say hello.

Krewes Kare Tampa Bay presents:
The Stars Are In Alignment for The 3rd Annual “World’s Largest Hurricane Expo & Party” To benefit the hurricane relief efforts of Krewes Kare and Angel Flight Southeast.

“The stars must have been in perfect alignment,” says Krewes Kare President, Yvonne
Painton. “Everything came together at the right time. We received final approval of our 501(c)3
status from the I.R.S., our new website was launched (http://kreweskare.org/), and we’ve got a new, larger indoor and outdoor location for ‘The World’s Largest Hurricane Expo & Party.’ And, it’s all happened within the past month, thanks to the efforts of our members.”

This year’s event will be held on Saturday, May 3rd from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Zendah Grotto, which is behind the Tampa campus of the Hillsborough Community College, at 4402 West Ohio Avenue, and will feature live music from three bands, dancing, carnival-style games, a Hurricane preparedness expo, and a family fun area. All you can eat food and drinks provided by our sponsors as well as auctions, raffles and other giveaways. This year’s event promises to be the biggest and best, yet.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, and are 100-percent tax deductible. To purchase tickets or make a donation go to the website at www.kreweskare.org or call Yvonne Painton at 813.839.1302.

Krewes Kare, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization founded in 2005 to provide early response hurricane relief to affected areas inaccessible to the larger relief agencies. We are a partnership of Angel Flight Southeast and volunteers from the 50 plus parade krewes in the Tampa Bay area.

Be there or miss out!