Chef Series Dinner

After the success of their first Chef Series fundraiser, the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester is pleased to continue the monthly dinners on Thursday, March 4 with Flying Pig on Lexington’s Executive Chef Lesley Sutter. The series, developed and organized by Club Board member Shelley Lewis Waln, features cooking demonstrations by top local chefs and a delicious dinner made entirely of locally sourced foods. The evening is held in the Kisco Kids Café, the Club’s state-of-the-art professional kitchen, with 100% of the event proceeds going directly to help the 2,500 children served by the Club.

Dinner guests have the rare opportunity to watch and learn from Chef Sutter as she prepares delectable hors d’oeuvres, a beautiful three-course dinner, and dessert. Local flavors grace the menu with ingredients from nearby farms in the Hudson Valley. The dinner will be paired with wines selected and donated by John Bueti, owner of Mount Kisco Wines & Spirits and former Club member.

Executive Chef Lesley Sutter traces her California roots back to the gold rush of 1849. A native of Northern California, Chef Sutter trained at several top restaurants there, including San Francisco’s Square One, Fog City, and Samantha’s, and at Bistro Ralph in Healdsburg. The creative force behind the Flying Pig on Lexington’s menu, Chef Sutter marries the casual and healthy elegance of California cuisine with the vibrant flavors and colors of local and artisanal foods. Her menu of farm-fresh foods from the Hudson Valley and beyond offers the sensory joy of eating locally, seasonally, and healthfully.

“We are thrilled to have Chef Lesley Sutter, whose passion for locally grown foods aligns so closely with our mission,” said Shelley Lewis Waln, Club board member and Chef Series creator. “The Chef Series is a fundraiser with the goal of bringing people into our Club to see our fabulous kitchen and resources for special events and entertaining. At the same time, guests enjoy a magnificent farm to table culinary experience.”

The Club’s Kisco Kids Café provides over 150 hot meals and healthy snacks daily since opening in March 2009. Many local children rely on the Club for after-school nutrition and do not eat a hot meal at home after leaving. Nutrition classes are offered to grade school members through the Club’s Health & Life Skills program. The Café is available for private, special event space rental.

“In addition to being fundraisers, these dinners also serve as friend-raisers for the Club,” explains Waln. “We are committed now more than ever to reaching out and deepening relationships with our community. The Kisco Kids Café is an immense resource for feeding our children and training them for potential career opportunities in the culinary arts. There are also worlds of possibilities for community partnerships.”

“The Club is so pleased with the success of our first Chef Series dinner, thanks in large part to Jonathan Pratt, and excitement surrounding the upcoming dates,” said Executive Director Brian Skanes. “We are especially grateful to Shelley Lewis Waln for organizing the event, Flying Pig on Lexington, who donated all of the food, Lesley Sutter, who will so expertly prepare it, John Bueti, for selecting and donating all of the wine, and John and Barbara Schumacher from Fleur, for the beautiful décor.”

Tickets for the Chef Series may be purchased individually at $125 per person or as a three-dinner package for $300. Upcoming dates include Thursday, April 1 with Crabtree’s Kittle House Executive Chef Brad McDonald and Thursday, May 6 with Café of Love’s Owner/Chef Leslie Lampert and Executive Chef Michael Cutney. Seating is limited. For more information or to make purchase tickets, please contact Jean Skanes at (914) 666-8069 x111 or jskanes@bgcnw.com.

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester is located at 351 Main Street, Mt. Kisco, NY and can be reached at (914) 666-8069 or by visiting www.bgcnw.com. To contact the Club’s Teen Center, located at 317 Main Street in Mt. Kisco, please call (914) 733-0033.

About the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester was established in 1939 as a place for “boys to get off the streets.” It is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and enabling young people, especially those who need it most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. Located in Mt. Kisco, NY, the 36,000-square-foot facility features an eight-lane pool, Child Care Center, gymnasium, games room, and two computer labs, and an additional 1,600-foot Teen Center facility. The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester serves 2,500 youths, boys and girls ages 6 months to 18 years, from more than 60 Northern Westchester communities. The Club has been ranked among the outstanding Clubs in the national network of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.