Quote Originally Posted by Possegal View Post
More importantly, as I seem to always be fundraising (as is evident in my signature), I want to hear more about this Iron Chef party.
The first year, it wasn't a fundraiser. It just seemed like a fun idea to get together. My brother (so not the cook) ended up being one of the chefs, and he competed against a friend of his. I think that was the same year that my dh was treated for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and 3 weeks after he finished treatment (now at 3 years remission, if all the August scans are clear!), my mom was diagnosed with a nasty form of leukemia. She died 5 weeks later.

(I mentioned that LLS was personal, right?)

So the next year, he organized it again (refusing to be the chef this time!), but put a dollar amount on it that would go toward our Light the Night fundraising efforts. I can't remember what he raised that year, but I think it was in the realm of $500ish. The next year I want to say it was around $800.

This year, he had a wait list, charged $40 a head, and after food costs (plus some matching funds), he raised almost $1200 this year. He's the consummate salesman, so he's managed to find different places to use that have enough seating and kitchen space for free.

He picks out an ingredient (one year chocolate, one year coke, one year white wine), and gives the "chefs" a month to prepare their menu (so it's not a last minute discovery). They prepare an appetizer, entree, and dessert. The attendees vote on which of each course is best. The first year, when he was the reluctant chef, he was voted best entree but got beat on appetizer and dessert. It's just a big social night, and they always have fun.

I'm thinking about doing a kids' version. Not 100% sure what it would look like, but I think I'd ask for a donation from each cooking participant, as well as one the judges (which, according to my kids, should also be kids). Let all the kids compete, since with kids, they'd have more fun cooking than just eating. Granted, I'm still working out the kinks on that one.

Hope that helps! I'm also crocheting things that I can sell. I've got a friend who is looking for something to do with her "projects" as well, so I might also try some kind of silent auction. (Can you tell I'm trying to come up with ideas to make up for the huge minimum I'm expecting?)