On Tuesday, October 22, our friends at the enCourage Kids Foundation hosted their Serving Up Smiles premier tasting event with over 300 plus guests at Current in Chelsea Piers. The event combined philanthropy and good food as chefs from all over the city provided food and beverage and guests bid on spectacular items via silent auction. The tasting included dishes from some of the tri-state area’s finest restaurants. Some of the best dishes of the evening included sumptuous Sea scallops and slow-braised short ribs crostini from Ocean Prime, Meatballs with whipped ricotta from Lavo, Lobster Rolls from lamia’s Fish Market, and Ribeye and Mac n Cheese from Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse. It was definitely the place to be for delicious food.
Since 1985, enCourage Kids Foundation has helped humanize healthcare for children and their families by resourcing impact-driven pediatric programs and supporting the Child Life Community. Serving more than one million children annually, enCourage Kids is focused on making hospitals a better place to get better. During the event, the purple carpet was rolled out for notables like John Starks (Former NY Knicks All-Star), Brent QVale (NY Jets Offensive Tackle), Tony Richardson (NFL Legend & Sports Commentator), Luke Petitgout (Former NY Giants Offensive Tackle) and actors Frankie Smith (Roots/Black & Blue), Suzzanne Douglas (Actress) and DeeMo (Actor/Singer/Songwriter), to name a few. Scott Stanford (Sports/News Anchor) was the emcee for the evening joined by culinary chair Ralph Scamardella, Chef & Partner TAO Group.
enCourage Kids Foundation President & CEO Michele Hall Duncan dished to us about how grateful she was for the turnout on such a rainy night. When asked about the upcoming goals for the enCourage Kids Foundation, Duncan says. “Expansion! Three years ago we were only in 3 states and now we are in over 40 and counting. I want to be in every state by the end of the year if I can and definitely by the middle of next year because sick kids are everywhere and what we do is profound and impactful for them. Our partnerships with hospitals and the child life community are really like no other. There is a need and I’m just committed to fulfilling it.” Michele’s many accolades include being a Trustee of the Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation where she serves as Board Secretary and Chair of the governance committee. She also serves on the Advisory Board of one of the nation’s leading anti-bullying organizations, STOMP Out Bullying, and is a board member of the New York City chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals where she also serves on the Professional Advancement Committee.
Participating restaurants and chefs included BAGATELLE (Guillaume Ginther, Executive Chef), BEAUTY & ESSEX (Jamie Sudberg, Executive Pastry Chef), BEN & JACK’S STEAKHOUSE (Admir Alibasic, Executive Chef), BRYANT PARK GRILL (Anne-Marie Noonan, Pastry Chef), BUTTER (Michael Jenkins, Chef de Cuisine), DANNY MACAROONS (Dan Cohen, Baker), HOTEL CHOCOLAT, LAMIA’S FISH MARKET (Lamia Funti, Executive Chef & Owner), LEGASEA (Jason Hall, Executive Chef), OCEAN PRIME (Eugenio Reyes, Executive Chef), OSTERIA MORINI (Andrew Minitelli, Chef de Cuisine), ROBERT (Gonzalo Colin, Executive Chef) SERENDIPITY 3, SFOGLIA (Melisa Panchano, Executive Chef) and TAO GROUP (Ralph Scamardella, Chef & Partner).
For more information about the enCourage Kids Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.encourage-kids.org.