The annual Gifts from the Earth Dinner was held tonight at South Seattle Community College. The event celebrates the hospitality industry and raises funds for college programs and student scholarships. It was hosted this year by KING-TV's Margaret Larson.

Celebrity chefs in attendance include Mark Guth and Carly Duke from Emerald Cove Catering and Brent Novotny of Cactus Restaurant.

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16 Celebrity Chefs
Ron Arbour – Royal Argosy; Jay DeLong – Canapé & Northwest Wine Academy instructor; Eric Floyd – Washington Athletic Club; Chris Frantela – Bellevue Harbor Club; Mark Guth* and Carly Duke* – Emerald Cove Catering; Dan Gilmore – Palisade Restaurant; John Hart – Sheraton Seattle; Jeff Maxfield* – Sky City; Renatto Medranda – The Westin Bellevue; Brent Novotny – Cactus Restaurant; Cody Reaves – Flat Iron Grill; Leonard Rede – Northwest Wine Academy instructor; Robert Scribner – South Seattle Community College; Kenneth Slack* – Sullivan’s Steakhouse Seattle; and Travis Chase – The Tin Table.

Area wineries are strongly represented.

30 Wineries
Antonville Winery, Barnard Griffin, Basel Cellars, Brian Carter Cellars, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Chatter Creek, Cloud Lift, Columbia Winery, Covington Cellars, DeLille Cellars, Elsom, Eroica, Gecko Cellars, Hollywood Hill, Isenhower Cellars, Kestrel Vintners, Martedi Wines, Michael Florentino Cellars, Mistica, Northwest Wine Academy, Nota Bene Cellars, O.S. Winery, Palouse Winery, Pleasant Hill Cellars, Soos Creek Winery, Stomani Cellars, Stottle, Waterbrook, and Willis Hall.

The event is made possible through the efforts of 150 Volunteers and features 120 unique auction items. 300 guests will be in attendance.

The festivities feature hors d’oeuvres, wine tasting and a silent auction (5:00 – 6:30 pm), followed by dinner (6:30 – 8:00 pm) and a live auction of unique fine wine and dining packages (8:00 – 9:30 pm).

Event emcee Margaret Larson hosts KING-TV’s popular daytime show New Day Northwest. For more than 25 years, she worked as a broadcast journalist, most notably with NBC News as a foreign correspondent based in London, news anchor for the Today show and Dateline NBC reporter, and as a reporter/news anchor at KING-TV. She is the recipient of numerous broadcast journalism awards and is well-known for her humanitarian work. In 2005, she was named "Best Voice for Humanitarianism" by the Seattle Weekly newspaper and, in 2007, was selected for the Women of Vision award by the "Women Work!" organization in Washington D.C.

Volunteers include SSCC's Hospitality Management bachelor’s degree program students, who manage guest relations; Culinary Arts students preparing meals alongside celebrity chefs; and students in the Wine Technology program who will pour wine with winemakers.

Tickets for Gifts from the Earth may be purchased for $175 per person. More information on ticket purchase and sponsorship opportunities may be obtained by contacting the South Seattle Community College Foundation at (206) 934-5809, email to ssccfoundation@seattlecolleges.edu, or on the web at www.southseattle.edu/foundation/giftsfromtheearth/index.html.

Title sponsor Food Services of America (FSA) is one of the nation’s largest foodservice distributors, serving customers in 15 western and mid-western states. This is the fifth consecutive year that FSA, a long-time supporter of South’s award-winning culinary and hospitality industry programs, has participated as the Gifts from the Earth title sponsor. The cocktail hour and silent auction reception is sponsored by Union Bank.

Additional sponsors include Boeing, Charlie’s Produce, Interbay Food Company, Tony’s Coffee, Rebar & Associates PLLC, Odom Distribution, and Ferguson Construction.

For information, contact South Seattle Community College Foundation at (206) 934-5809, email: ssccfoundation@sccd.ctc.edu, or on the web at www.southseattle.edu/foundation/giftsfromtheearth/index.html.

Gifts from the Earth
South Seattle Community College annual food and wine gala celebrates the hospitality industry.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
5:00 pm, Jerry M. Brockey Center
South Seattle Community College
6000-16th Ave. SW, Seattle, WA 98106