International Chef’s Night Out: Dining for a Cause

Wouldn’t it be nice to take part in an event where funds were raised that provided scholarship and grant money to students and teachers? And wouldn’t it be nice to go to a huge party where more than 60 restaurateurs showed up and brought their signature dishes, and for three hours your only goal was to try them all?

“This is our 16th year [holding the event]," said Angela Castaldo, event coordinator for the International Chef’s Night Out through the Ocean County Foundation. "We have businesses that come and serve to our patrons, and the patrons walk around the arena for three hours and taste everything. There’s wine tasting, desserts … You can’t go to one restaurant to try all the things you will at this event.”

Castaldo wasn’t kidding about the "arena" part, either. The event will take place at the Pine Belt Arena [formerly the Ritacco and Poland Spring Arena] at 1245 Old Freehold Road in Toms River. The price of a ticket to be paid in advance of the event is $50 per person, which all goes to benefit the Ocean County Vocational Technical School, and the presentation runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Guests can hop from sushi to Italian, from chocolate to pastries, enjoy live entertainment and possibly win a great prize as well.

So stop thinking about how nice it would be and start making plans to attend the International Chef’s Night Out on Monday, March 5.

Castaldo described how this unique fundraising concept came about for Ocean County Vocational School.

"One of our chairmen from a few years back owned a restaurant, and the idea for the event was spurred on from there," she said. "It started originally with only five or six participating restaurants. Now we’re nearing 65 and we wind up needing to turn some businesses away.”

Castaldo said that, while the earliest patrons are always welcomed, she has accepted people at the last minute.

"In order to attend, people need to purchase their ticket before March 5," Castaldo said.

The Ocean County Vocational Technical School provides courses for high school students on a shared scheduling basis, post-high school training, classes for adult students in the evening, and offers special needs courses as well. In this period of a slowly rebuilding economy, the need to freshen up, expand upon, or learn entirely new skills for an ever-challenging workplace becomes extremely important. The proceeds from this event go to fund scholarships and grants for both students and teachers to keep OCVTS’ necessary work going.

“If you like to eat, this is an opportunity to taste a lot of different food in a comfortable atmosphere,” Castaldo said.

And don’t forget, you’re also doing good in the process. Wouldn’t it be nice if all things were win/win situations?

To view the event’s flyer, click for a PDF at: http://www.ocvts.org/htm/current/events/flyers/chefs-night-out-2012.pdf.

For more about the Ocean County Vocational Technical School, visit their site:http://www.ocvts.org/.