September is Hunger Action Month

Can you count how many times a week the words “I’m hungry” come out of your mouth? At Moveable Feast we’re guilty of it too; we’re ‘hungry’ while waiting in the microwave line to heat up our lunches or when sauntering up to our volunteer manager’s office to see what extra snacks he has to offer in between meals. Food is certainly crucial for all of us, but unlike our clients, not many of us have experienced the pangs of true hunger or the anxiety over finding our next meal.  

That’s why September as Hunger Action Month is so important. It’s a chance to put things into perspective for the fortunate among us and a chance to take action to help the over 500,000 Marylanders living below the federal poverty level.  While only a week and a half remains in September, there are a number of ways to participate:

1.       Dine Out & Save Lives

Moveable Feast’s 18^th Annual Dining Out for Life event is tomorrow, September 22^nd! Eating out with friends, family and coworkers Thursday is one easy way to FEED people, FIGHT disease and FOSTER hope. There are over 40 participating restaurants who will be donating 20-50% of proceeds to Moveable Feast. Click here for the full list.

2.       Food Stamp Challenge

While Maryland Hunger Solutions’ official Food Stamp Challenge started Monday, you can still check out their online Food Stamp Challenge Diary. These articles are written by people who commit to the challenge of feeding themselves for a week on a $30 budget (the average amount of food stamps people get in MD). Their diary entries will provide a glimpse into some of the challenges that food insecure people face on a daily basis.

3.       Feeding America

Help Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, spread the word about Hunger Action Month by watching their celebrity videos (one of which is below) and sharing them with your friends. Their goal is to reach 1 million people by 9/30/11.  



RED MAPLE Chewpons Deal!

Hey folks! Don't miss out on this great Chewpons deal to benefit Moveable Feast!

Rated 3.5/4 stars by Baltimore Sun restaurant critics and named "The Hottest Spot in Mt. Vernon," Red Maple is simply the place to dine, drink, and lounge.

The current Chewpons coupon is a 50%-off deal: for $15, get $30 worth of food and drink. Discover the Fireside Lounge, Rainbow Room, and Dance Floor at Red Maple....enjoy global-fusion small dishes, elaborate desserts, and signature drinks...all while benefiting Moveable Feast. How? A portion of your Chewpons online purchase will directly benefit us!

This Chewpons deal is only available for one week, so get yours today! Click HERE to buy!

Special thanks to Chewpons.com for their support of Moveable Feast services.

Dining Out For Life 2011

Dining out at a restaurant has become commonplace in our daily lives. 

When we can't figure out what to concoct for dinner, or we don't have time to cook, we simply hop in our cars and drive to the nearest carry-out joint. Easy peasy.

And even when it's a planned excursion, indulging is typical. Spent a few extra bucks on a dessert mousse at that new cafe? Ordered the 16-oz. instead of the 12-oz. steak? Not a big deal - we might go home with a few less dollars in our wallets, but that delightful feeling of fullness? Priceless.

For some, however, that "full" feeling does not come so easily. Moveable Feast is, at its core, a hunger organization that feeds people living with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, blood cancer, and other life-threatening conditions. Proper, regular nutrition is crucial to their ability to fight disease. 

Our clients are so poor that their next meal is not as simple as "What do I want to cook for dinner tonight?" or "Where can I buy something quick to eat?" Rather, our clients face dilemmas such as: "Where will I find the money to even buy groceries?" or "How will I cook when I'm too weak to get out of bed?" or simply "I have no friends or family. Who will feed and take care of me while I am so terribly sick?"

_______________________________________________________

How can you help? Dining Out For Life (DOFL) is an annual fundraiser to benefit Moveable Feast. Now in its 18th year in the Baltimore Metro area, it is your opportunity to dine out and help those who, without the services of Moveable Feast, would not have the opportunity to feed themselves properly, much less dine out at a restaurant. 

How does Dining Out For Life work? Simply dine out at a participating restaurant on September 22nd, 2011. The restaurant will donate 20-50% of your bill to Moveable Feast, in support of our lifesaving nutritious meal delivery programs. And that's it! No extra money spent on your part - simply dine out to save lives.

How can I get even more involved? We are searching for enthusiastic Ambassadors to support DOFL. Ambassadors are stationed at their favorite restaurant (given participatory status and availability) to promote Moveable Feast and DOFL - passing out informational materials, speaking with patrons about our mission, etc. Ambassadors are also expected to help populate the restaurant by encouraging friends and family to dine out. Contact Amanda Fisher (afisher@mfeast.org ; 410-327-3420 x11) if you are interested!

Do you yourself own a restaurant in Baltimore or the surrounding areas? If you'd like to get your restaurant involved in Dining Out For Life, please click here for more information and to register. 

What participating restaurants are saying: 

• "Great event for a great cause! It increases business so it's win-win for everyone!" - Clementine 
• "The feeling of goodwill can't be beat. By going full force at 50%, the restaurant at Moveable Feast both win. Most people want to go to the places giving the most." - Woodberry Kitchen

So on September 22nd, join us in Dining Out For Life. Help us to provide that cozy feeling of fullness to our clients that we are so lucky to enjoy!

Mt. Washington Tavern's Grilled Cheese Cook-Off Raises $1K

Aged gouda cheese. Portobello mushrooms. Buttery italian bread. Sauteed onions. Look at any pictures from the Mt. Washington Tavern's 1st Annual Grilled Cheese Cook-Off, and you'll know - if you weren't there, you missed out on the best grilled cheese sandwich of your life.

Sunday's sold-out event raised over a thousand dollars for Moveable Feast services. Professional chefs and home cooks reinvented the idea of the typical grilled cheese sandwich by using gourmet ingredients in unique ways. Likewise, Moveable Feast continues to reinvent charitable food service ideals by constantly improving our meals to make them tastier, more nutritious, more personalized, easier to heat up, and more client-friendly. What better way to raise money for our mission to FEED people, FIGHT disease, and FOSTER hope?

The winners were:

• Of the Professional Chef challenge: Kevin Miller of Widespread Concierge Services, who served up a tasty creation using 3 different aged cheeses on a brioche.
• Of the Home Cook challenge: Michelle Howell, who made a delicious vegetarian grilled cheese masterpiece.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of this event, and special thanks to Mt. Washington Tavern for choosing us as their charity beneficiary.

Photos credit: Jason A. Knauer, Jason Knauer Photography, www.jasonknauer.com

Grilled Cheese Today!

At last! Satisfy your cheesy cravings! Today is the long-awaited 1st Annual Grilled Cheese Cook-Off at Mt. Washington Tavern, one of our Dining Out for Life restaurants.

At 2:00PM, join Baltimore's famed celebrity chefs - including Chad Gauss of City Cafe in Mount Vernon, who was just voted "Baltimore's Best New Chef" by Baltimore Magazine - as they battle it out over the griddle. The home cook challenge will be just as exciting and satisfying to your stomach. 

Tickets have already sold out online. They will be sold for $10 at the door and are expected to run out rapidly, so get there early. One hundred percent of the ticket sales will be donated to Moveable Feast!

Baltimore's Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich

When March - National Nutrition Month - ends in a few weeks, it will be high time to kick back and enjoy some delicious comfort food.

April is National Grilled Cheese Month - who knew?! - and we're inviting everyone to Mt. Washington Tavern's 1st Annual Grilled Cheese Sandwich Cook-Off!

From 2:00-4:00PM on Sunday, April 10th, see local top chefs and home cooks battle it out for the best grilled cheese sandwich, live at Mt. Washington Tavern. You'll even get to enjoy a tasting of each of the competing sandwiches.

There will be two competitions - one among the top chefs, and one among the layman home cooks. 

Six (6) top chefs have been secured, and include:

• Bill Crouse of Slainte in Fells Point
• Matt Milani of The Rumor Mill in EC
• Chad Gauss of City Cafe in Mount Vernon
• Patrick Crooks of Roy's Restaurant
• Darrick Granai of Baldwin's Station in Sykesville
• Kevin Miller of Widespread Concierge Services (formerly of Ixia)

Home cooks are invited to submit their original recipe for a chance to be one of three (3) to compete in the finals on April 10th.

Judging categories include Best Professional, Best Home Cook, Crowd Pleaser, and Kid's Choice. 

Moveable Feast will receive all proceeds from the $10 entry fee (children ten years and under are free), which includes the cook-off, tasting, and one complimentary signature cocktail designed especially to be paired with grilled cheese. A match made in cheese heaven.

Tickets to this event are sold online (click here) and will likely sell out online. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door for the same price. Buy yours today to ensure you can get in!

Click here to add yourself to the official Facebook event. 

For more information, visit Grilled Cheese Sandwich Cook-Off Details or contact Mikey Monaghan at mam@mikeymonaghan.com.

Reader Photo: Waterstone Bar and Grille

There are just a few days left to participate in our "Let's Dish! & Dine Out" Giftcard Giveaway. Remember, submit a photo of your meal from a Dining Out For Life restaurant, or your favorite recipe, to esze@mfeast.org!

These photos were sent in by Cinthea Thurman, who dined at Waterstone Bar and Grille. She enjoyed the lamb chops and veal shank. Cinthea's photos have been entered in the drawing to win a $25 giftcard to Let's Dish!



Yum!





The presentation was great.

Reader Photo: Minato Sushi

Thinking of eating out this weekend? If you dine out at a 2010 Dining Out For Life restaurant, snap a picture of your food to be entered in our giftcard giveaway! 

This photo comes from one of our dietitians, Jinee, while eating out at Minato Sushi Bar. Jinee has been entered to win a $25 Let's Dish! giftcard.

Looks tasty!

The 2010 DOFL restaurants included: 13.5% Wine Bar, A Bolton Hill Bistro - 'b', B & O American Brasserie, The Brewer's Art, Alexander's Tavern, Alonso's/Loco Hombre, Ambassador Dining Room, Blue Agave, Bonjour Bakery/Cafe, Cafe Gia, Cafe Hon, Chameleon Cafe, City Cafe, Clementine, The Dizz, The Dizz Grandview, Gertrude's at the BMA, The Greene Turtle (Fells Point), Iggie's, Indigma, Jack's Bistro, Joe Squared, Koco's Pub, Laurrapin Grille, Linwoods, Luna Blu, Marie Louise Bistro, Mia Carolina, Miguel's Cocina and Cantina, Minato Sushi Bar, Mt. Vernon Stable & Saloon, Mt. Washington Tavern, One World Cafe, Pazza Luna, Petit Louis, Regi's American Bistro, The Rumor Mill Fusion Bar and Restaurant, Rustico Restaurant and Wine Bar, Sascha's 527 Cafe, Singer's, Sotto Sopra, Teavolve Cafe and Lounge, Todd Conner's, Village Square Cafe, Waterstone Bar and Grille, Woodberry Kitchen, Yellow Dog Tavern

Reader Recipe: Poached Fish with Swiss Chard

This recipe was sent to us by Kevin Bonds as an entry in our "Let's Dish! & Dine Out" Giftcard Giveaway, currently ongoing. Feel free to send your own favorite recipes or food photos to enter in the Giveaway for the $25 giftcard to Let's Dish! (Giveaway ends Feb. 13th). 

Thanks for your entry, Kevin! 

Original recipe called for salmon, but I had sea bass and it worked great.  I used two fillets (those individually wrapped frozen fillets).  I was able to defrost them quickly in the microwave without cooking them at the same time.  I think I used more wine vinegar than the recipe called for - basically I just mixed the ingredients to taste.

2-4 fish fillets
3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon of dried dill
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup chicken broth
Swiss chard, chopped into 1 inch chunks.  Use the stems too.  I used 5-6 big stems for my two fillets.

Coat slow cooker with cooking spray.  Arrange fish in it, tucking the thin ends underneath if needed.  Sprinkle with garlic or season salt.

Stir together mustard, honey, vinegar.  Put two Tablespoons in another bowl, and to that add the onion, broth, and dill.  Pour the mixture over the fish.  Save the remainder for later.

Cover; cook on HIGH for 1.5 hours (or low for 3).

During the last 15-20 minutes, add the chard on top of the fish.  It will fill the crock pot, but cooks down.  Cover and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes on high.

Remove the chard and put in a serving bowl.  Toss with the remaining sauce.  Carefully remove the fish and serve, then put the chard beside it.  It would be great with rice, but was a super meal without too. 

The Numbers Are In...

2010 was a remarkable year for Moveable Feast. We formed new partnerships and broke new records for our meal deliveries, transportation programs, and culinary job training program. All of it could not have been achieved without the help of staff, volunteers, board, and supporters.

Out in the community, we held very successful Ride for the Feast and Dining Out For Life campaigns. The year also saw the birth of the Partnership for Life with Chase Brexton Health Services and AIRS, leading to the creation of the B'more Aware of HIV: The Living Red Ribbon campaign. On October 9th, we broke a new Baltimore record for the largest living ribbon ever created in the city. And in 2010, we also began providing services to people living with blood cancers, in partnership with the There Goes My Hero foundation.

We surpassed our expectations for meal deliveries. For our meal home delivery program, which includes Daily Home Delivered Meals and Meals for a Week, we delivered 534,527 meals to 948 clients.

For our community partnership programs, where we work with shelters, drop-in centers, and other organizations, we delivered 204,596 meals to 1,065 clients.


All in all, that brings us to a grand total of 739,123 meals delivered to 2,013 unduplicated clients living with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and blood cancer. To do so, our vans travelled the world more than 3 times over, covering a distance of 75,829 miles.


Moveable Feast also broke new records for our various transportation programs, which help our Ryan White clients and the Baltimore City homeless get to important medical appointments or social services buildings.


We transported 196 Ryan White clients over 32,000 miles to medical appointments. And we drove 28,194 miles in 2010 in the People On the Move program.

And finally, our Culinary and Life Skills Training Program was a huge success in 2010. This past year, 32 students participated in the program, 27 graduated (84%), and 21 secured jobs (77%). In addition, 12 students (44%) received the ServSafe Certification. 

In 2010, our mission to feed people, fight disease, and foster hope was achieved for more than 2,000 individuals. We look forward to 2011 to not only replicate these incredible successes, but also expand them even futher.

"Let's Dish! & Dine Out" Contest

This month, we'll be having one of our biggest contests yet!

In honor of Baltimore Restaurant Week (Jan. 21-30th) and Baltimore County Restaurant Week (Jan. 14-28th), Moveable Feast is proud to announce the "Let's Dish! & Dine Out" contest. 

The prize will be a fantastic gift card to Let's Dish!, a fun and engaging meal cooking and delivery service, headquartered on Old Court Road. 

How does Let's Dish! work? "There are lots of ways to dish. You can assemble the meals yourself (the original!) at an In-Store Session, or have us do the customized assembly for you (we call it “Dish-n-Dash”). You can place an order online for DishDelivery (our newest and most convenient service), pop in last-minute to select a Ready Made meal or two (or more!), or get the gang together for a Private Party."

How can you enter the contest? 

There are two ways to enter the contest: 

1. Dine out at a 2010 Dining Out For Life restaurant (see list below) and take a photo of your food. E-mail the photo and your name to Emily at esze@mfeast.org.
   
2. OR, if you don't feel like dining out this month, e-mail your name and your favorite recipe to Emily at esze@mfeast.org.

All entries must be submitted by Sunday, February 13th. 

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Valid restaurants include: 

13.5% Wine Bar 
A Bolton Hill Bistro - 'b'

B & O American Brasserie

The Brewer's Art

Alexander's Tavern

Alonso's/Loco Hombre

Ambassador Dining Room

Blue Agave

Bonjour Bakery/Cafe

Cafe Gia

Cafe Hon

Chameleon Cafe

City Cafe

Clementine

The Dizz

The Dizz Grandview

Gertrude's at the BMA

The Greene Turtle (Fells Point)

Iggie's

Indigma

Jack's Bistro

Joe Squared

Koco's Pub

Laurrapin Grille

Linwoods

Luna Blu

Marie Louise Bistro

Mia Carolina

Miguel's Cocina and Cantina

Minato Sushi Bar

Mt. Vernon Stable & Saloon

Mt. Washington Tavern

One World Cafe

Pazza Luna

Petit Louis

Regi's American Bistro

The Rumor Mill Fusion Bar and Restaurant

Rustico Restaurant and Wine Bar

Sascha's 527 Cafe

Singer's

Sotto Sopra

Teavolve Cafe and Lounge

Todd Conner's

Village Square Cafe

Waterstone Bar and Grille

Woodberry Kitchen

Yellow Dog Tavern

Linwoods (DOFL) helps The Red Devils

Great news from two great establishments that Moveable Feast works with! 

Linwoods Restaurant (in Owings Mills) participates in Dining Out For Life and raises a great deal of money to help feed Moveable Feast's clients. And we work with The Red Devils to provide meals to women living with breast cancer and their families. 

On Thursday, November 4th, Linwoods and the Red Devils held a very cool benefit event called "Paint the Town Red." It featured elaborate body painting and an auction, among other fundraisers. Read more about the event on WJZ.com.

Oh, and click here to subscribe to our blog posts by e-mail!

Guest Blog by Minxeat's Kathy Patterson: A Restaurant Review of Clementine

One of the Baltimore region's most popular food/restaurant reviewers is guest blogging today. Kathy, who is the author of the minxeats blog, reviews her Dining Out For Life experience at Clementine. 

Minxeats features original recipes, thoughts on area restaurants, and other food-related topics. Check it out! 

I had heard from several sources that Clementine was "awesome," so I was happy to see that the restaurant was not only participating in Dining Out for Life, but it was also one of the handful that were offering 50% of the night's proceeds to Moveable Feast.

Couldn't be a more perfect reason to check it out.

Clementine, located on Harford Road in Hamilton, is an entirely charming restaurant. The decor is rustic, with sturdy wooden tables and chairs, window lamps made from colanders, and a hodgepodge of art-for-sale decorating the walls in the original dining room. The music playing that evening was country with a Texas twang. And our waitress was an absolute doll.

The eclectic beer and cocktail menu took longer to peruse than the food menu. Eventually I settled on a Tokyo Iced Tea - a mild-tasting but potentially lethal concoction containing mint tea and sake, among other things. Mr Minx had a draft Chimay, which honestly was pretty dull for a Belgian beer that cost nearly $8.

As for food, we knew we wanted to try both charcuterie plates - meat and seafood.

The meat version held a slab of Danish fontina, a chubby sausage of Duroc pork seasoned with black mustard seed, fennel, and pear liqueur, a blob of chicken liver paté with thyme, rye whiskey, and honey, and a pile of house-made bread & butter pickles.

The paté didn't look like much, but boy howdy was it good! (And they sell it by the pound!) The whiskey and honey lent a subtle sweetness to the chicken livers, which were smooth and rich and simply wonderful. The juicy pork sausage was similarly edged with sweetness. The cheese was fine, but I would have preferred more meaty goodness.

The seafood plate included pickled shrimp, smoked trout salad with remoulade, and a shrimp paté, along with more pickles. I adore smoked trout, which is what sold the dish. Trout isn't as oily as its cousin salmon, and I find that smoking it provides a more gentle flavor. This salad was lemony perfection. I expected the shrimp to be more, well, pickle-y, but was instead pleasantly surprised by an intense citrus flavor. And while I wasn't crazy about the runny texture of the shrimp paté, the nuggets of crustacean had a nice iodine quality.

The bread & butter pickles were a nice tangy counterpoint to the rich items of the meat plate, but were unnecessary on the seafood version. But really, the only thing I would change is the bread. Charcuterie this good needs something with a bit more character and better crust. And maybe cut into less-dainty slices.

(Yes, I know, I've become a breadist like my father. Don't remind me.)

 On to our entrées.

Mr Minx, feeling somewhat meat-and-potatoes deprived recently, found the description of meatloaf with smoked gouda mashed potatoes and a red eye mushroom gravy enticing. Apparently not only to read: he devoured the whole thing, citing the herbal quality of the meat as one of its best qualities. For me, however, there was probably a bit too much thyme. Loved the super-creamy mash and the homey gravy, though.

Unlike my husband, I'm always more interested in ordering things that are more odd or interesting rather than soul-satisfying and am almost always content with eating an appetizer as my main course. Although I was tempted by the duck entrée, I instead ordered the smoked duck nachos with chihuahua cheese, cilantro sour cream, and pico de gallo appetizer. And I'm very glad I did, as these were some of the best nachos I've ever eaten - freshly fried chips, a generous quantity of tender house-smoked meat, and a gorgeous cilantro-and-lime cream. Not only gorgeous to look at, either. (My notes said the cream was "killer." God, I love cilantro.)

The portion was huge, btw, definitely share-able if ordered as an appetizer. For sure they don't skimp on portions at Clementine, as our desserts (made by the owner's mom) were oversized as well.

Mr. Minx's yellow cake with chocolate frosting and peanut butter filling was like a home-made version of one of the treats of our youth: a Tastykake Peanut Butter Kandy Kake. But ten times better, of course.

If I'm going to eat cake, 9 times out of 10 it's going to be chocolate, but a big white cake with a halo of grated coconut called to me from its very visible spot in the pastry case. It was possibly the best yellow cake I have ever eaten - moist and somewhat dense, with fluffy seven-minute frosting and the perfect amount of coconut. I ate as much of it as I could before I had to admit defeat and a full tummy.

In conclusion: we enjoyed everything immensely. I'd go back again for all of it, especially the charcuterie and cake. And that cilantro cream. I'm thinking that Clementine might just become one of our regular haunts.

Clementine
5402 Harford Rd
Baltimore, MD 21214-2215
(410) 444-1497

Thanks again to Kathy and Minxeats for guest blogging today! Dining Out For Life was held this year on September 23rd. Clementine was one of our best performing restaurants. In total we raised over $70,000 this year to feed our clients.

Don't Miss Gertrude's on FOOD FEUDS Tonight!

John Shields's GERTRUDE's At The BMA participated in our Dining Out For Life 2010 event, and certainly helped fundraise a lot of money. All the money raised goes towards feeding our clients, who suffer from HIV/AIDs or breast cancer. 


Food Network's FOOD FEUDS television show is featuring Gertrude's tonight! This show is the story of Iron Chef Michael Symon, who is out to settle some of the most famous food rivalries across the country.


The Food Feuds Gertrude's episode will air on Thursday, October 28th at 10:00PM EST on the Food Network. Reruns will be aired on 10/29 at 1:00AM & 10/31 at 11:00PM EST.

Today, Dine Out For Life.

Today, September 23rd, is Baltimore's 2010 Dining Out for Life. Forty-seven Baltimore restaurants are participating, with donation levels ranging from 20% to 50% of all proceeds of the day. Many restaurants are open for breakfast and lunch in addition to dinner, to satisfy even the busiest person's schedule.

Check out the list of participating restaurants, which also includes the restaurant websites and valid mealtimes. 

Moveable Feast is also featuring two competitions for Dining Out For Life. The first is our 2010 Blogger Restaurant Review Competition, outlined in this blog post. The second is our 2010 Photoshoot Competition, described on this Facebook event - the prize is a signed copy of Pam Grier's memoir, and all you have to do is eat and smile for the camera! :) 

See everyone tonight at Dining Out For Life!

Each year, you may dine out hundreds of times at restaurants all over the city. Today is the one day of the year where you can dine out in Baltimore and help hundreds of your fellow Marylanders struggling with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, or homelessness. Today, take a bite out of philanthropy.

Blogger Bonanza - a DOFL Restaurant Review Competition

Dining Out For Life 2010 is next Thursday, September 23rd, and we're quite excited! 

Moveable Feast is announcing the 2010 Blogger Restaurant Review competition! Any and all food bloggers are welcome to compete - you can be a fledgling new blogger, or an experienced, well-read (and well-fed) one.

How to Compete:

1. Dine out for life on September 23rd at a participating restaurant.
2. Write a restaurant review- we're looking for thoroughness of the review, quality of the writing, and of course, a lot of flair and fun :)
3. Submit the restaurant review by Friday, October 1st, to esze@mfeast.org. This can be submitted as a Word Document or simply in the body of the email.

The top ten restaurant reviews will be chosen and posted weekly on our blog for the next ten weeks. We're doing this to both promote Dining Out for Life and the participating restaurants who are helping Moveable Feast with their donations. 

Please direct all questions to Emily at esze@mfeast.org or 410-327-3420 x39.

Our participating restaurants are:

Fifty Percent Donors

The Brewer's Art

Clementine

Gertrude's at the BMA

Miguel's Cocina and Cantina

Woodberry Kitchen

Thirty-Three Percent Donors

13.5% Wine Bar

The Dizz

The Dizz Grandview

Iggie's

Twenty-five Percent Donors

B & O American Brasserie

Pazza Luna

Sascha's 527 Cafe

Twenty Percent Donors

A Bolton Hill Bistro - 'b'

Alexander's Tavern

Alonso's/Loco Hombre

Ambassador Dining Room

Blue Agave

Bonjour Bakery/Cafe

Cafe Gia

Cafe Hon

Chameleon Cafe

City Cafe

The Greene Turtle (Fells Point)

Indigma

Jack's Bistro

Joe Squared

Koco's Pub

Laurrapin Grille

Linwoods

Luna Blu

Marie Louise Bistro

Mia Carolina

Minato Sushi Bar

Mt. Vernon Stable & Saloon

Mt. Washington Tavern

One World Cafe

Petit Louis

Regi's American Bistro

The Rumor Mill Fusion Bar and Restaurant

Rustico Restaurant and Wine Bar

Singer's

Sotto Sopra

Teavolve Cafe and Lounge

Todd Conner's

Village Square Cafe

Waterstone Bar and Grille

Yellow Dog Tavern             

NEWS BITES - Dining Out For Life 2010

Every day, thousands of people all over America eat out at restaurants for lunch and dinner, enjoying delicious food experience that is created for them by a host of chefs, cooks, and waiters. We often think nothing of being able to eat out at a restaurant with our families and friends on a regular basis. Yet there are others for whom eating regularly and receiving proper nutrition is a daily challenge. And once a year, Baltimore’s residents can simultaneously dine out and help people who need our support.

Dining Out For Life is an annual fundraiser held nationwide that raises money for local AIDS organizations. Moveable Feast has been holding Dining Out For Life in Baltimore for 17 years. At participating restaurants, a minimum of 20% of proceeds from breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner are donated to Moveable Feast. Last year, fifty-three restaurants participated and we raised over $70,000! All the money went to help our clients, who are fighting HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and homelessness.

Restaurants also benefit from this event. Not only do they receive promotions on fliers, posters, radio, and television, but each restaurant is assigned an Ambassador. Ambassadors work very hard to encourage their neighbors, friends, and family to eat at their assigned restaurant on the day of Dining Out For Life. As a result, restaurants often see an increase in their patronage on the day of the event.

This year, we talked to Shana Carmel Challmes, who has been the Ambassador at our longest-participating restaurant, Mt. Vernon Stable & Saloon, for the past seven years. 

What initially drew you to Dining Out For Life and this particular restaurant?
It was a simple decision. This is a wonderful cause. My friends work at Mt. Vernon Stable, and it’s a fun environment with great food. The customers are one-of-a-kind!!

Why do you enjoy volunteering for DOFL each year?
Because I know that this will be one day of the year that I know I can make a difference.  So I work that much harder for those that are in need.

What is your favorite part?
Ooh…picking out my outfit…that first impression is a lasting one.  I have regulars that come every year to see what I am wearing. In fact, now that I am doing this interview, I think I have to step it up a notch!

What is your favorite dish at Mt. Vernon Stables? Why?
The toasted raviolis are by far my favorite.  I can pop one in my mouth in-between table hopping!

What is your funniest experience as an Ambassador?
It has to be from 2 years ago when I knelt down to speak to a table of four.  As they placed what they could afford in the envelope I got so excited that each individual was filling out an envelope that I had not noticed that my shoe was stepping on the hem of my skirt and I jumped up as my skirt was pulled down.  Good times.  I think they gave more.

Dining Out for Life is for a great cause that often can hit close to home. What was your most touching experience?
Now I have heard many stories from people on why they come out for DOFL, but nothing ever prepared me for this. Most Ambassadors know certain tables might just be off limits for you to go up to.  They give you that “look” or they wave you away before you even approach. Last year this woman came in, didn’t make eye contact and was a little taken aback as I sat her down at her table for one. She sighed as she breezed through the menu and didn’t seem too interested in all the festivities around her. I introduced myself and asked if I could sit with her and tell her what I am doing here this evening.

She quietly obliged me and began to explain that she knew what tonight was.  “You see”, she said now finally making eye contact with me, “I lost my best friend to AIDS only but a few months ago and I did not know what to do for him.”  We began talking about Robert and his life and she began to light up as I laughed and choked back a few tears.  I sat with her throughout her meal as she told me how excited she was that she finally had the courage to come out to DOFL - that she had the opportunity to celebrate him as a person but that she was also giving to a great cause.  We made a pact to see each other at DOFL every year. I look forward to seeing her on September 23rd.

Dining Out For Life this year takes place on September 23rd, 2010. For a list of participating restaurants, please visit diningoutforlife.com/Baltimore.

Want to be an Ambassador on September 23rd? Contact Amanda Fisher at afisher@mfeast.org, or call 410-327-3420.