Fruit Center Holds Successful Benefit for 350th Anniversary

The Milton 350^th Anniversary Committee will have an addition $10,000 to apply to its yearlong celebration of the town’s birthday, after a successful wine dinner recently at the .

Over 50 patrons attended the event and the Fruit Center matched funds with the proceeds from the dinner.

Chef Chris Douglass, owner of Ashmont Grill and Tavolo, created a four-course, colonial-inspired meal for the attendees. Milton resident Dan Michaud, director of education for Ruby Wines, selected a wine pairing for each course.

The menu consisted of Massachusetts Bay Fish Chowder, mesclun greens with cranberries and walnuts, Colonial Roast Pig and Indian Pudding with rum raisin ice cream.

Milton residents, who remember the fundraising efforts for the , may recall a similar event at the Fruit Center Marketplace a few years ago.

“We had put together a wine dinner fundraiser about three years ago to benefit the Milton Public Library and thought a similar event for the 350 Committee would be an exciting way to raise awareness for Milton's 350th birthday celebration in addition to helping raise funds for the festivities,” said Fruit Center Marketplace marketing director Michael Dwyer.

Dwyer said planning for the dinner started about eight months ago when Dave Connelly, of the 350^th Anniversary Committee, reached out to him about fundraising ideas.

With a successful partnership for the library event, Dwyer brought back Douglass for last week’s dinner.

The wine dinner isn’t the only way the Fruit Center is chipping in for the 350^th celebration. The Milton store is also selling the 350^th Anniversary calendars. To date, the store has raised over $700 in calendar sales, according to Dwyer.