Submitted by Saint Martin’s University
Held this year on Saturday, November 2, the Saint Martin’s University Gala is an annual event that raises significant scholarship funds for students with a live cooking demo and both live and silent auctions. For the third year, Saint Martin’s has invited a chef to be the focus of the gala, held on campus in the Marcus Pavilion. Cleveland’s Michael Symon will host; in the past Guy Fieri and Mario Batali have hosted the black-tie event. Symon will prepare a multi-course dinner on stage—after he cooks each course it will be served to the audience, followed by three to five live auction items. The menu this year ranges from a bacon-laden pasta to lamb to homemade pickles, reflecting Symon’s boldly, heartland cooking style.
Michael Symon, a Cleveland native, is best known for his outgoing presence on ABC’s The Chew, as well as for winning Iron Chef America in 2007. He’s often a presence on Food Network and Cooking Channel shows, most recently Symon’s Suppers, which premiered in January of 2012. Symon and his four restaurants have garnered abundant national praise—Food and Wine’s Best New Chef Award in 1998, a James Beard award for Best Chef Great Lakes in 2009, and a listing in Gourmet’s “Best Restaurants” in 2000; to name just a few.
This year there are nineteen items in the live auction including: a trip to Italy with a private tour of the Vatican, a reef net fishing trip off Lummi Island, a Holland America cruise, an Italian picnic for 30, and dinner with the University’s monks at their bayside lodge. A position as Symon’s sous chef for the evening is also up for grabs, as are bar stool seats on stage for each course.
Tickets for the event are available either by the table, which seats 10, or individually, though the $400 individual tickets are limited. Tables range from $3,500 to $35,000 with the $35,000 table being on-stage, served by Symon himself. The gala reception begins at 5pm, followed by the main event at 7pm. There is an additional private reception from 5pm to 5:45pm with Symon for patrons at the $25,000 tables. Please call 360-486-8885 or visit the Office of Institutional Advancement (Old Main, 2nd floor) for more information. To learn more about the gala, visit www.stmartin.edu/Gala/.
Last year the gala raised $759,990; in 2011 it raised $607,634. This will be the eighth year of the gala, which has grown from a 376-person event to a 600 to 700-person event. Aside from fundraising, the gala also raises awareness about Saint Martin’s University and builds relationships with individuals and groups outside the academic community. The gala also enhances student and alumni relations—last year nearly 200 students, alumni, and friends volunteered at the event. Scholarships are vital to the education experience at Saint Martin’s—more than 95% of Saint Martin’s students receive some form of financial assistance. As a result, the student body is a diverse one, where everybody has the opportunity to thrive. The gala is an effective and celebratory event that supports the university’s mission and students.
