Local Restaurants Team-Up Sunday for Pelham Rotary Club Fundraiser

PELHAM MANOR—Want to support a good cause and have access to samplings from a wide variety of restaurants in southern Westchester County?

Then the  Rotary Club of the Pelhams annual "Gift for Life" fundraiser to benefit children in developing countries in need of cardiac care is the place to go Sunday.The program, which will raise money to help provide cardiac care to children in developing countries, takes place at the and will include food tastings, a silent auction and live music by the Pelham Jazz Ensemble.

The event, which typically attracts about 200 attendees, will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The cost of attendance is $75 per person at the door, or $60 if registration is made in advance.

Part of this year's proceeds will help fund two overseas medical missions. Last year, the Rotary Club supported a medical team that travelled to El Salvador, where it performed 21 cardiac-related operations and trained local doctors at the same time. Since then, the local doctors have performed 90 operations on their own.

Nineteen restaurants and beverage providers will participate, including Colorado's Blue Moon Brewing Co.

Executive Chef Jack D’Angelo at Don Coqui said he will serve two paellas at the fundraiser. One dish, called the Don Coqui seafood paella, comes with shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari and chorizo. The other dish is a vegetarian paella that has grilled, marinated mixed vegetables.

Alain Bennouna, chef/owner at Zitoune in Mamaroneck, said his restaurants is providing five vegetarian dishes, including a roasted eggplant which he said "comes with a kick." Zitoune's tasting courses are:

• Roasted eggplant and feta dip with the kick provided by a fresh chile pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic
• Traditional Moroccan Berber couscous "prepared as it's enjoyed in Marrakech," Bennouna said, served with seven vegetables and an aromatic broth
• Mediterranean orzo salad accompanied by red onions, cucumber, Moroccan cured olives, olive oil, lemon juice and capers
• Spinach salad with carr marinated in red onions, orange blossom, orange juice with cinnamon, honey and olive oil

Joe Palaguchi, chef at in Pelham, said his kitchen will prepare crab cake over salad and shrimp cocktail in a tangy sauce as appetizers. The following entrés will be provided:

• Charcoal-grilled calamari with broccoli rabe sautéed in garlic and oil, white beans and sun-dried tomatoes
• Atlantic salmon with tomatoes, capers and braised Vidalia onions
• Scaloppini of veal in pesto sauce with sun-dried tomatoes
• Jumbo Gulf shrimp grilled on charcoal

Sushant Nagpal at Rangoli in New Rochelle, said his restuarant is offering chicken biriyani, which is a rice casserole baked with 15 different spices.

“It contains freshly roasted chicken braised with an onion reduction,” Nagpal said.  “We will also serve a side dish which compliments the biriyani, called kheera raita, which is a home made yogurt sauce infused with cucumber and fresh black pepper."

Joe Napolitano at Posto 22 in New Rochelle, said his kitchen will cook chicken martini (parmesan crusted chicken breast with lemon white wine sauce), rigatoni Porcini (with Porcini mushrooms and pancetta in truffle cream sauce) and also provide three-color salad.

"We will bring American Country desserts, cookies, cupcakes and more," said Nancy Conners, owner of , a Pelham bake shop and café.

The silent auction includes bidding for 55 items. A sampling follows:

• Wine donated by Joe Larocca's French Wine Shop in Pelham. Wine order forms will also be available for purchase by bottle or case at a discount with a percentage donated to the fundraiser
• Overnight stay and breakfast at the Marriott Residence Inn at the Yonkers Executive Park
• Family membership at Lyndhurst, a National Trust historic site in Tarrytown, NY
• Gift certificate for French language classes at Alliance Francaise de Westchester
• "Painter for a Day," provided by A.G. Williams Painting Co. of Greenwich, CT.

The participating restaurants, bakeries and food/beverage suppliers are:  

1. , New Rochelle
2. , New Rochelle
3. , White Plains
4. Pelham
5. Blue Moon Brewing Co.
6. , New Rochelle
7. , New Rochelle
8. , Bronxville
9. , Pelham
10. La Fontanella, Pelham
11. , White Plains
12. , Pelham
13. , New Rochelle
14. Provisions, Pelham
15. , Hastings on Hudson
16. Rangoli, New Rochelle
17. Ristorante Buona Sera, Mt.Vernon
18. , New Rochelle
19. , Mamaroneck

For discounted advance registration information (at a cost of $60), call Lyn Roth-Jacobs at 914-738-0701 or go to http://PelhamRotary.tripod.com.