Celebrity Chef Cook-off Featured at Cancer Center’s Culinary Event

L’Auberge Casino & Hotel new venue for The Taste

  (Baton Rouge, La.) Baton Rouge and surrounding area residents can taste the best food the Capital City area has to offer, and at the same time help cancer patients at Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center. Award-winning cuisine from more than 25 local restaurants and caterers will be featured during The Taste fundraiser, 7 – 9:30 p.m., Thursday, April 23, at a new venue: the contemporary L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge, also a presenting sponsor. A new, special Celebrity Chef Cook-off is the highlight of this year’s event. Additional presenting sponsors of this year’s festive evening are Brian Harris Audi and Louisiana Lottery Corporation. Taste co-chairs are Pamela Delatorre and Eric Guerin. Louis D. Curet, a 15-year cancer survivor, board member emeritus and longtime supporter of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is honorary event chair. In 2011, the Cancer Center established the annual Louis D. Curet Volunteer Fundraiser Award, naming Curet its inaugural recipient for his help in acquiring millions of dollars for state-of-the-art radiation therapy equipment that carries broad community impact. “I am humbled to be the honorary chair of such a signature fundraising event for the fight against cancer,” said Curet. “Your support of this endeavor will help ensure that area patients can receive the complete range of cancer treatment without leaving the comfort of their homes and loved ones.” A Celebrity Chef Cook-off presented by Calandro’s Supermarket is a novel addition to The Taste 2015, taking culinary art to new heights. Three local chefs – John Folse, Gino Sclafani, and Cody Carroll – will team with a Cancer Center supporter and compete in a 30-minute cooking competition, preparing a dish highlighting a secret ingredient presented to them when the competition begins. The winner will be judged on presentation, taste and originality. Live music by the John Gray Jazz Trio, a silent auction and other unique activities are planned. New mobile bidding technology has been created and will be used for this year’s event. “Anyone placing a bid on a silent auction item can do so through their smart phone. When you have been outbid you will receive a text message and can place a new bid wherever you may be in the room,” explained Kaitlyn Guerin, associate development director for the Cancer Center. “This new technology will allow guests to watch the Celebrity Cook-off, enjoy the food and drinks and bid at the same time.” Volunteers will be on-site to assist those unfamiliar with this technology. The 2015 Passport to Paris raffle, another element of The Taste, is underwritten by Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, and offers a chance to win a trip for two, with amazing add-ons. A limited number of tickets are on sale from now through April 22 for $50 each. The drawing will be held at The Taste 2015, however, the winner need not be present. To purchase tickets visit MBPOLOL.ORG/PARIS or call (225) 215-1224. Tickets for The Taste, which include tastings and cocktails, are $100 each; $175 per couple; or $1,250 for a 10-ticket package that includes 10 event tickets and 10 raffle tickets. To purchase, please visit MBPOLOL.ORG/TASTE or call (225) 215-1224. Proceeds from ticket, auction and raffle sales will help provide advanced cancer care, surrounding patients with more programs and services than any cancer center in Louisiana.   As the regional destination for cancer care, Mary Bird Perkins—Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center offers advanced technology and services provided by nationally-recognized doctors and other oncology health professionals who have dedicated their lives to fighting the disease. The Cancer Center is consistently recognized for its dedication to offering best-practice, comprehensive care at every stage of the cancer journey.