Designers join forces with chefs to raise funds

ANDOVER — A Taste of Talent: Dining by Design will be held at Perona Farms on behalf of Project Self-Sufficiency on Monday, April 16, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Patrons will be able to sample hors d’oeuvres, entrees and desserts from 30 area restaurants while bidding on creations by local interior design firms. Now in its 16th year, the event will benefit Project Self-Sufficiency, a local non-profit agency specializing in services for low-income families in Sussex, Morris and Warren counties. Sponsorship packages are available; individual tickets are limited and selling out quickly. Stations from 30 of the area’s finest restaurants will be placed throughout Perona Farms, allowing patrons to meet and mingle with the chefs while sampling some of their most renowned dishes. Guests are invited to stroll through the cavernous kitchen at Perona Farms and witness a cooking demonstration by molecular gastronomist George Mandakas III. The foyer at Perona Farms will be transformed into a showcase featuring the wares of local designers. Patrons will be encouraged to bid on the displays, with the highest bidder taking home the designer’s entire creation. Those who pledge their support at the Sponsorship Level will have the opportunity to win a dinner for eight, catered in their own home by Culinary Chairperson and Perona Farms owner Kirk Avondoglio, with staging for the evening provided by Alicia Shearer and Patti Bruterri, co-chairs of the designing portion of A Taste of Talent. “A Taste of Talent is our signature fundraising event and the cornerstone of our annual campaign,” said Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency. “We are delighted by the support we continue to receive from the restaurateurs and designers in our area. Project Self-Sufficiency is in need of the community’s support now more than ever. Due to the current economic situation, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of low-income families requesting assistance. ‘A Taste of Talent: Dining by Design’ provides a wonderful opportunity for people to reach out and help their neighbors at this difficult time.” Local designers will each be creating a table filled with objects according to the theme “Dining around the World.” The contents of each table will be available to patrons during a silent auction. As usual, music will be an integral part of A Taste of Talent, with ensembles and soloists set up in just about every room at Perona Farms. Project Self-Sufficiency is a private non-profit community-based organization dedicated to improving the lives of low-income families residing in northwestern New Jersey. The agency’s mission is to provide a broad spectrum of holistic, respectful, and comprehensive services enabling low-income single parents, teen parents, two-parent families, and displaced homemakers to improve their lives and the lives of their children while achieving personal and economic self-sufficiency and family stability. Since 1986 Project Self-Sufficiency has served more than 19,500 families, including over 30,000 children. Select donation categories are available for A Taste of Talent: Dining by Design, ranging from $500 to $25,000. In honor of the organization’s 25th anniversary, two new giving levels have been established: The Anniversary Celebrant at $2,500 and the Silver Circle at $25,000. A limited number of tickets for individual donations are available at a cost of $200. Perona Farms is located at 350 Andover-Sparta Road in Andover. To make a contribution to Project Self-Sufficiency, to obtain tickets to A Taste of Talent: Dining by Design call 973-940-3500.