Fourteen years after its debut as the major fundraiser for the Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce, the annual Reds, Whites & Desserts event continues to attract partygoers with creative ways to showcase local wine and food purveyors and an increasing variety of whimsically themed auction packages.
This year guests are invited to enjoy "A Grape Escape" on Friday, March 25, from 7 to 10:30 p.m. at Bridgewater Banquet & Conference Center, 10561 Sawmill Parkway.
Chamber volunteers will use grape-themed dcor to transform the banquet center into a backdrop for wine tasting stations, gourmet hors d'oeuvres, fancy desserts, a coffee station and silent auction packages.
Guests will sample 35 wines presented by Cameron's American Bistro, Cantina Laredo, Brookside Golf & Country Club, House Wine, J. Liu Restaurant & Bar, Rivage Atlantique, Signature Wines and Two Brothers Wine & Spirits.
Baked desserts donated by Chamber member bakeries, restaurants and caterers will be available for sampling and for silent auction. Coffees will be provided by Aroma Dolce, a division of Sanese Services.
Menu items include several Greek and Mediterranean specialties of Bridgewater general manager Anna Harrison, as well as vegetable pakoda and chicken tikka from Cumin Indian Restaurant.
Bridgewater will offer a chef-attended beef and turkey carving station with sauces, crudit "shots" of fresh vegetables in a shot glass with dipping sauces, cheese boards, stuffed grape leaves and Mediterranean grapes, and a mashed potato bar where guests can garnish martini glasses of potatoes with their favorite savory toppings.
Partygoers will "shop" as they sip and savor, bidding on more than 60 themed silent auction baskets that offer weekend excursions and romantic overnight getaways, jewelry, theater tickets, hotel and restaurant gift certificates, golf packages, sports tickets and hundreds of other valuable products and services.
Worthington Jewelers has continued its tradition of designing a custom-made donation of jewelry with precious gems, this year creating a pendant and earring set of diamonds and blue topaz.
Coach Quarters has contributed an out-of-town excursion for 18 persons in a luxury motor coach, while B&C Blacktop Sealing Co. returns with its donation of $1,500 of paving services.
Many of the cleverly named packages this year include oversized household items that serve as dcor or furniture, including a giant golf ball and tee, a giant aspirin, stack of books, playing cards, nuts and bolts, as well as many grape- and purple-themed items.
Major sponsors of the event include Bridgewater Banquet & Conference Center, B&C Blacktop Sealing Co. and Worthington Jewelers.
Wine station sponsors committed at press time include CSGraphics, Huntington National Bank, Insurance Partners Group Ltd., Anthony Lordo, D.D.S., The Rite Bite, Schoedinger Funeral Services, Tilton's Automotive Service and Turner Construction Co. Major sponsors and wine station sponsors enjoy seating at reserved tables, as well as tickets, signage and publicity benefits.
"Patron" sponsors at press time include CME Federal Credit Union and the Laurels of Norworth and Worthington, and "Friend" level sponsors are The Cachet Hair Salon, Craig W. Bringman Co., LPA, and Insurance Agencies of Ohio.
Reservations, at $55 per person, are still available and can be made by phone at 614-888-3040 or online on the calendar of events at www.worthingtonchamber.org. Sponsor packages that include reserved seating or advertising will be available through March 18.
"You don't need to be a Chamber member to enjoy Reds, Whites & Desserts," said chamber board chair Kay Lakhi of the Rite Bite, who also co-chairs the event planning committee. "We encourage everyone to bring co-workers, customers, neighbors and relatives anyone who enjoys wine, food and a festive party atmosphere."
Lakhi said cocktail dress or dressy business attire is appropriate for the event.
