Dinner and Door Prizes at Willow This Weekend

So, I was going to write about two good-cause foodie events this Sunday, but alas, one of two sold out this week, while I was busy being a cupcake warrior and election night volunteer here at the site. But the research is already done, so here's a post about one of the two. Forgive the lack of cutesy theme -- just telling the dining-event news like it is.

From 5-8 p.m. on Sunday, Willow Restaurant hosts "Crowning Cuisine: More Than Sugar and Spice." The event, organized by Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, pays tribute to women in our local gastronomic community. The $35 ticket includes wine, hors d'oeuvres and a chance to mingle with some of the area's top female chefs and sommeliers. Honorees include Barbara Black of the Black's Restaurant Group; Heather Chittum, pastry chef at Hook; Ann Harvey Yonkers from the FreshFarm Markets; and Odessa Piper, subject of this Food section profile.

The food is the real draw -- expect dishes like cauliflower and goat cheese bisque from former 1789 chef Ris Lacoste, frogs in puff and lamb sausage in puff a la CommonWealth prepared by Jamie Leeds, wild mushroom bites from Restaurant Nora's Nora Pouillon -- but the door prizes aren't too shabby either. Ticket holders have a chance to win dining gift certificates, bottles of wine and (the grand prize) 12-months worth of "chef experiences" which can range from cooking lessons to home-cooked meals with chefs.

Tickets are available here. Some proceeds from the event benefit the WCR, which promotes women in the culinary field.

-- Julia