Some of the most successful My Giving Table events have been thanks to the generosity of chefs donating their time to come into the hosts homes and create amazing private dining experiences. One particular "b grade celebrity chef" as he refers to himself is my loving husband Kev Collins owner of iconic Whitsundays restaurant and catering company Fish D'Vine, who has been "pimped out" to cook for so many dinners and lunches now I have lost count. His specialty is his "Bait to Plate" dinners that showcase the best of Queensland's fresh seafood in ways that educate and surprise. Kev's kindness and commitment has helped us raise many thousands of dollars for various charities, including Open Haven, Orange Sky Laundry, Women's Legal Service, Moreton Bay Colledge's Foundation and Chick's in Pink to name a few.
We are happy this month to announce that our chef list is growing - we recently had young chef Lachlan McFarlane from The Arsonist in Manly, do a private chef gig for us at Raby Bay. Described as a rising star in the culinary world we applaud Lachlan for taking on the somewhat daunting task, out of the comfort zone for many chefs, and cooking in a private kitchen for a large private dinner party, without all the usual support that is found when cooking in your restaurant kitchen with your team around you. With his talent, creativity, and attention to detail, Lachlan is quickly becoming a valuable asset to The Arsonist and is sure to leave a lasting impression on the culinary world, but even more important is we thank Lachlan for being a good human and doing his bit to give back to a worthy cause.
Lachlan shared his passion for cooking with the group of 25 delighted and thankful guests and helped raise over $5000 for ToyBox Charity and the Miss Universe Australia campaign, of Hostess on the night, Dayna Wilson. Fundraising is no easy task, and we were pleased to be able to support Dayna and wish her well, and every success going forward. If you would like to further support Dayna in anyway please reach out and connect with her on instagram - @daynawilson_. By all accounts it was a delicious dinner.
We are currently looking for more big-hearted chefs like Kev and Lachlan who would like to come on board to donate their time, to share their skills and raise funds while spreading some love, through My Giving Table.
It's pretty simple - hosts or MGT cover the food costs and expenses (as required), and the chef gets to show off their skills in the kitchen, to an attentive and engaged audience, in wonderful private dining rooms. The hosts help the chefs of course and we can't be happier than when love of food, knowledge and skills are shared. It's a win win all round.
At My Giving Table we love our chefs for their generosity and promote them and their brands widely through our network of food lovers. Certainly, as a giving chef that supports valuable community-based charities there is the added positive PR and brand opportunity that comes as a result, with so many guests at our private dinners becoming valued customers of the restaurant in the future. The guests get to know more about the person behind the menu, their values and their personal approach, and this is powerful.
If you are a chef who may like to donate your time and would like to know more on how to get involved, please reach out....you can even pick Kev's brains about how he has approached these evenings with a sense of fun and his cheeky humor.
We have more public events coming up in the calendar over the coming months including the book launch this weekend for Campfire for a Women's Heart and the Ignite the Senses Dinner for the Layton Vision Foundation in June, and for those in Airlie Beach we have the beautiful Trudy Crowley Foundation High Tea to look forward to.
kate@mygivingtable.com.au
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