Five chefs unite for Jan. 28 Oakroom dinner to benefit Haiti

[Robin Garr]

Haitian Relief Benefit
Thursday, Jan. 28
The Oakroom

A group of Louisville chefs, all of whom have ties to the Caribbean, will host a special dinner Jan, 28, with proceeds going to the earthquake victims of Haiti. The five course event will start at 6:30 pm with a reception, followed by dinner at 7 pm.
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The dinner will be a representation of several different Caribbean cuisines. All the proceeds from this dinner will go toward helping the Haitian people rebuild from this devastating earthquake. The relief organization "Partners in House" will be the venue through which funds are distributed to relief victims.

Reception-
Chef Anthony Lamas from Seviche will offer a variety of Caribbean canapés.

Appetizer course-
Chef Bruce Ucan from Mayan Cafe

Salad Course-
Marcos Lorenzo from Havana Rumba

Entrée-
Chef Matt Durham and Chef Bobby Benjamin

Dessert-
Chef Jim Gerhardt from Limestone Restaurant

More information will be forthcoming soon. Price of the dinner will be $75 per person

Robin,

In case folks want to get more information about organization that the Haiti Relief Dinner will be benefiting, here is the website for Partners in Health : http://www.standwithhaiti.org/haiti

Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health, was appointed as the the Deputy United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti in August of 2009 by Bill Clinton, who is the Special Envoy to Haiti. On Saturday, January 16, the Partners in Health medical team was designated by the World Health Organization to serve as the coordinators of the Public Hospital, Hopital de l' Universite d'Etat d'Haiti (HUEH), where thousands are suffering in need of medicines and surgeries.

Clearly this organization is deserving of our support! Thanks in advance to all who plan to attend the dinner.

~Anne Shadle, co-owner of the Mayan Cafe

Can spots be reserved for this dinner? Or is it a "show up on Thursday and pay" type of thing?

Sounds like a great idea, and I'm sure it will be an amazing meal!

[Robin Garr]

Here's a more detailed menu:

Reception-
Chef Anthony Lamas from Seviche will offer a variety of Caribbean canapés.
Haitian style meatballs- smoked bacon/lemon/oregano
Salmon seviche- crispy plantain/spicy mustard/dill
Ti malice- roasted eggplant/scotch bonnet/blue dog toast
Jerked shrimp- coconut/ginger/lime

Appetizer course-
Chef Bruce Ucan from Mayan Café
Caribbean conch ceviche mixed with tropical fruit & lime

Salad Course-
Marcos Lorenzo and Yaniel Martinez from Havana Rumba
Ensalada Espanola (Spanish Salad) - Mixed greens, homemade roasted bell peppers, spanish olives, marcona almonds, aged manchego cheese with orange vinaigrette

Entrée Course-
Chef Matt Durham and Chef Bobby Benjamin
Trifecta of the Caribbean.
Jerk pork belly, yellow tail snapper wrapped in banana leaf, and conch fritter
Tropical fruit spiced rum relish, sofrito, banana molasses ketchup

Dessert Course-
Chef Jim Gerhardt from Limestone Restaurant
Key lime custard with burnt cane sugar crust, coconut macaroons dipped in dark chocolate and cinnamon and brown sugar plantain with Cruzan Cream

[Robin Garr]

Can spots be reserved for this dinner? Or is it a "show up on Thursday and pay" type of thing?

Sounds like a great idea, and I'm sure it will be an amazing meal!

Chris, sorry it took a while to get back on this - we're traveling. Reservations are advised, and assuming a big crowd, may be mandatory. Call the Oakroom ASAP.

Chris, sorry it took a while to get back on this - we're traveling. Reservations are advised, and assuming a big crowd, may be mandatory. Call the Oakroom ASAP.

No worries Robin, and you actually responded quite quickly...

I just made a reservation for two, and am excited for a delicious dinner for a great cause!

Barbara and I will be in town and have made reservations to attend this benefit.

We'd love to meet up with any other Hotbyters who might be attending.

Just a quick update:

The benefit dinner was a huge success!

We were able to raise over $6000 to benefit Haitian relief.

Our most sincere gratitude to all the suppliers, chefs, managers, waitstaff and cooks who graciously donated their time, food and hard work for such an important cause.

...Not to mention all the generous diners who helped support this event by dining for such an important cause!

I encourage all to find whatever they can - whether monetary or volunteering - to continue the effort to support the rebuilding of an already impoverished nation.


From the entire staff at the Oakroom - thank you again, and hats off to anyone who supports this cause.