share our strength

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa's Celebrity Chef Classic

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Events, Sports

It may be snowy and cool in some parts of the country but in November it's still prime golfing weather in Ojai, California making it a perfect time for the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa's Celebrity Chef Classic occurring on the weekend of November 13 - 14. The event which includes the chance to golf alongside several celebrity chefs will benefit Share Our Strength, a national organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America. This year, Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger (and the cooking show Simply Ming), Todd Gray of Equinox, Alan Wong of The Pineapple Room, Budi Kazali of Ballard Inn & Restaurant and Ojai's own Executive Chef Jamie West will play in the 18-hole golf tournament with guests on the naturally sculpted George C. Thomas-designed course.

The weekend begins with a welcome cocktail party on Friday that will highlight tasting menus presented by each chef. Saturday morning, guests will be invited to play Ojai's greens alongside the chefs followed by celebratory gala dinner. The Celebrity Chef Classic is $1,450 per person, excluding taxes (double occupancy) or $1,850 per person, excluding taxes (single occupancy) and includes two nights in deluxe accommodations, unlimited golf, Friday's welcome reception, gala dinner, breakfast, lunch and additional amenities.

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Tags: celebrity chef, celebrity golf, celebrity golf tournament, CelebrityChef, CelebrityGolf, CelebrityGolfTournament, golf, ojai, ojai resort, OjaiResort, share our strength, ShareOurStrength

Share Our Strength, Charity of the Day

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity of the Day

Non-profit org Share Our Strength's three word mission says it all: No Kid Hungry. In college I read Share Our Strength founder Bill Shore's inspirational story about creating his organization amidst the existing models for successful giving back. It's called The Cathedral Within, and is highly recommended for anyone interested in how an entrepreneurial vision can mold public service. (Shore was an early adopter of strategic marketing partnerships with corporations that helped raise funds and awareness for childhood hunger.)

24 years later, Share Our Strength has raised over $200 million through high-profile events like Taste of the Nation, which draws support from many of the country's most exclusive restaurants.

In September, the organization wrapped up its inaugural Great American Dine Out event, sponsored by American Express. Participating restaurants from hard-to-snag reservations in Los Angeles to family-owned diners in Montana donated up to 5% of their sales over a week-long period.

The facts Share Our Strength tries to communicate are staggering -- a third of Americans served by food banks are under 18 years old; average food stamps provide only $1 per meal; this year more than 12 million American kids worried about going hungry. Seems we need Share Our Strength more than ever.

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Tags: bill shore, BillShore, charity, childhood hunger, ChildhoodHunger, food crisis, FoodCrisis, share our strength, ShareOurStrength

Illy Coffee Cup Chandelier To Be Auctioned Off

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Charity

Coffee company Illy created limited edition coffee cups in collaboration with some of the top names in the arts from 1992 to 2005. Now they are offering a unique chance to get all those cups in one spectacular display. The Illy Cup Collection Chandelier features approximately 330 cups designed by Julian Schnabel, James Rosenquist, Robert Rauschenberg, David Byrne, Francis Ford Coppola and others. The spiral chandelier is valued at $60,000 and one of two in existence. One is in illy caffè's home town of Trieste, Italy. The other will be offered for auction at illy's Annual Cup of Kindness event to be held at Per Se on December 4, 2007, hosted by Martha Stewart and Andrea Illy, with co-hosts James Rosenquist and Thomas Keller. The evening's auction benefits Share our Strength. Tickets to this event are $1500, and all proceeds raised will be used for schools in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee.

The chandelier will be on display to the public at New York's Time Warner Center from December 3 to December 29 at illy's Push Button House, a fully functional and sustainable home built inside a standard industrial shipping container. In just 90-seconds with the push of a button the shipping container turns into a five-room home with a kitchen, dining room, bedroom, living room and library. Visitors to the Iilly Push Button House can enjoy free coffee and donate money to support Share Our Strength. Pictures of the Illy Push Button House are in the gallery below.

Gallery: Illy Pop Up House

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Tags: auction, charity, coffee cup, illy, illy push button house, new york, per se, share our strength

World's Pricest Cocktails

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

When dining out, having a few drinks with dinner can really impact the bottom line when the bill is presented. While the markup on alcohol is always fairly significant, a few shots of Johnny Walker Black don't come close to doing the kind of damage to the pocketbook that the world's priciest cocktails will.

Take the Dazzle cocktail for example. Served at the Second Floor Bar at Harvey Nichols in Manchester, UK, this little concoction will set you back $51,200. But if you order it, rest assured that you will walk away with more than a buzz. In addition to the the rose Champagne and strawberry and lychee liqueur, the cocktail is served with an 18-karat white-gold ring with pink tourmaline and diamond stones.

If the idea of a gem in your drink appeals, there are other establishments where you can drop a bundle on a beverage with a little extra sparkle. The Blue Bar at the Algonquin Hotel in New York offers a Martini-on-the-Rock for $10,000. With 72 hours advance notice, they will mix up a martini to your specification and drop in your choice of diamond cut and setting. The Piano Bar in the Sheraton Park Tower Hotel in London, will also let you customize your pricey gem drink. The Diamond/Ruby Cocktail starts with Charles Heidsieck champagne blended with Remy Martin Louis XIII cognac, angostura bitters and a sugar cube and is finished off with a gem of your choice. A .6 carat diamond will set you back a mere $4,350, but if you really want to impress your date, choose the 2.6 carat version for $19,000.

If you aren't in the market for a nice piece of jewelry, but still appreciate an expensive libation, try the Mai Tai at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast. With a rare shot of Wray & Nephew 17-year-old rum mixed in, this one will set you back $1,400. Or visit a Capital Grille at any one of their 27 locations and they will happily mix up a $1,000 martini for you. Depending on just where you visit, the drink will be paired with an appropriate piece of Lagos jewelry, from pearls in New York to diamonds in Las Vegas. And any guilt you might feel at ordering such a pricey drink will surely be drowned by the knowledge that for each cocktail sold, about $500 goes to Share our Strength, a charity that battles hunger around the globe.

But wait, there is more. Here you will find even more pricey cocktails to be had all over the world. Cheers!

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