RSYP hosts annual dinner

GREAT BARRINGTON – Running a diverse program like the Railroad Street Youth Project takes lots of planning and fundraising.

One of the most popular events RSYP hosts each year is the annual fall culinary dinner, and this year’s will take place on Monday, Dec. 3 at Fiori in Great Barrington.

The evening will feature a five-course meal selected and prepared by students in RSYP’s Culinary Arts Apprenticeship Program under the mentorship of Brian Alberg of the Red Lion Inn and Dan Smith of John Andrews, and with the support of Zee Vassos of Firefly, Rachel Hunt of Fiori and Jaime Paxton of the Meat Market.

Tickets are $125 per person, with proceeds and donations supporting RSYP programs and activities.

The event can fit 110 and RSYP Director of Development Maxine Carter-Lome expects the event to again sell out, raising needed funds.

“Our goal this year is to raise $15,000 for RSYP programs and activities through ticket sales, a live auction and donations,” said Ms. Carter-Lome.

The Berkshire Culinary Arts Program was conceived in 2006 as a way to allow youth from throughout south county to work with area chefs to gain professional culinary training. The series of eight weekly sessions ends with a community dinner overseen by guest chefs working with their apprentices to prepare gourmet meals for the public.

“My whole knowledge base of cooking has changed because of the culinary program at John Andrews and the Red Lion Inn. Now, working at Fiori, I continue to build on that base,” said Culinary Arts Apprenticeship Graduate David Asaph. “Without the culinary program I wouldn’t have been prepared in the way I was to start my job. It gave me a beginning to work in a professional kitchen.”

These final dinners have become sold-out events and great community celebrations. To date, over 100 teens and young adults have participated in the Culinary Arts Program, leading many to go on to work in restaurants and pursue careers in the culinary arts.

The evening will start with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and then consist of five courses with themes selected by the participants and mentoring chefs to reflect their range of culinary expertise and the skill level of participants.

“RSYP’s Culinary Arts Apprenticeship offers young people real world experience working with phenomenal local chefs to develop skills and a passion for food and the culinary arts,” said RSYP Executive Director Ananda Timpane. “Young people leave the program with an edge in a very competitive field for culinary-related jobs.”

Posted by Kameron Z. Spaulding on November 15, 2012. Filed under Community Events,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry