A Culinary Celebration for the Heart
Four civic leaders who served as Girls’ Night In “sous chefs” may not have graduated from Le Cordon Bleu, but they proved masterful fundraising competitors outside the kitchen. The Top Sous Chef Contest brought in nearly $55,000, taking the estimated net results for Girls’ Night In 2012 to a record-setting $100,000 or more. This includes
sponsorships, ticket sales and proceeds of the contest and a raffle.
Proceeds from the contest and event, held February 21 at Portfolio Kitchen & Home, will benefit A Change of Heart®. The program is a key component of the hospital’s new Adelaide C. Ward Women’s Heart Health Center.
Top sous chef
Frank Ross Jr. won top sous chef honors by raising nearly $19,000. Online voting began Jan. 11 and continued through noon Feb. 21, with additional votes tallied during Girls’ Night In.
Contestants and their totals:
- Frank Ross Jr., Polsinelli Shughart PC, $18,907
- Bob Regnier, Bank of Blue Valley, $13,760
- Mark Faber, AEG/Sprint Center, $11,415
- Bob Page, The University of Kansas Hospital, $10,825
Girls’ Night In 2012 was A Culinary Celebration for the Heart. Kansas City’s premier chefs and student chefs from two area school districts prepared heart-healthy bites paired with wines as more than 300 guests watched them in action.
Chefs were:
Student chefs from Shawnee Mission School District's Broadmoor Bistro and Wyandotte High School's Culinary Program commandeered Portfolio’s main kitchen.
“It wasn’t the food, it wasn’t the wine and it wasn’t the chocolate that made this event so successful,” said Laurie Ingram, event chairman and publisher of The Independent. “It was the wonderful energy of all these people who came to support and celebrate women’s heart health.”
View more photos from the event.
About Girls’ Night In
The University of Kansas Hospital hosts Girls' Night In each February to coincide with American Heart Month. The special evening of fun, food and friendship is designed to increase community awareness about women's heart disease and the importance of heart-healthy lifestyles. It also raises funds to improve women’s heart health by supporting the hospital’s A Change of Heart® initiatives in awareness, assessment and advocacy.