Bella the Corner Gourmet has announced the 2014 recipient of the Bella Cooks Club annual fundraising event. This year, the Greenbrier Episcopal School in Lewisburg won through a voting process.
Tamera Pence, owner of Bella the Corner Gourmet, started the Cooks Club event in 2011. In honor of her sister-in-law, Lynn Pence, the event was turned into an annual fundraiser.
The first year, West Virginia Diagnostic Center for Breast and Cervical Cancer received $1,265 in 2011. Since then money from Cooks Club parties has grown to between two and three thousand dollars each year, with Fairness West Virginia and the Family Refuge Center receiving the money in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
Bella Cooks Club will have four to six dinner parties this coming year. There is room for approximately 20 participants at the Corner Gourmet on the corner of Washington and Route 219 in downtown Lewisburg.
The dates for the dinners will be announced at the top of the year and pre-registration is necessary, as participation is on a first come-first served basis. There is a minimum donation of $20 to sign up for each dinner. Once announced, the events sell out within 48 hours.
During the dinner, there are sample sizes of gourmet dishes, and a wine tasting for food pairing ideas. Local chefs and lay cooks prepare food onsite using all locally grown products.
Fundraising isn’t the only fun part of the event. Tamera explains, “This is an excellent educational tool for wine and food pairings, all while celebrating our community.”
Visit www.bellathecornergourmet.com or their Facebook page for information and registration for the Cooks Club events. You may also call 304-520-4921 or stop by the shop.