The Torch

Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Monica Carson Doug Austin, a guest of the Harvest Dinner, bids on items at the silent auction. Items included an Alaskan cruise and a bridal jewelry set.

On Oct. 26 Lane Community College hosted the annual Harvest Dinner, which is co-produced by the LCC Foundation and the Culinary, Art and Hospitality programs.
The dinner is a fundraising event for the college. This year about 400 guests came to the event.
Kathy Thomas, coordinator of the event and a board member for the LCC foundation said that the goal for the event was to raise $230,000. Last year, the event raised $210,000, and this year the event grossed just over $200,000.
About 140 students from the culinary and hospitality programs participated in cooking and serving the dinner, and 50 students, mostly scholarship recipients, volunteered and participated in service and clean up.
The event included not only a dinner, but also silent and live auctions. Up for bid were such items as an Alaskan Cruise, a 1.5-carat bridal jewelry set, and a variety of culinary packages, all of which were donated by local companies for the auction. The faculty in the art department also donated a variety of pieces to be auctioned.
Jennifer Salzman, who was in charge of gathering the art for donation, explained that the event is beneficial to the Art Department because part of the money raised goes back to the art department and is used for keeping the art gallery operational.
Each year, the Culinary Department hires a guest chef to come work with the students in preparation for the event. This year the guest was Jack "the Czar of mushrooms" Czarnecki, who owns the Joel Palmer House, a restaurant in Dundee, Ore. This year, the 'czar' spiced up the menu by including mushrooms in every dish.
Kathy Thomas, coordinator of the event and a board member of the LCC foundation, said that tickets were sold out far in advance.
"Often times a non-profit organization has difficulty selling out for an event," Thomas said.
However, it was no problem for LCC. The allure of a talented guest chef; several desirable items available for auction; and a night of entertainment all contributed to the quickly sold-out status, despite the hefty sum.
The cost of a table ranged from $100 to $10,000.

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