On November 7, the Windber Health Care Foundation Auxiliary held its 5th Annual Showcase Chefs event at the Windber Community Building. Local chefs handed out samples of their dishes to more than 200 attendees, who then were asked to “tip” their favorites. The event was a huge success, raising more than $8,000 for hospital projects and equipment at Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber.
Since beginning in 2015, Showcase Chefs has brought in nearly $33,000. In the past, the hospital Auxiliary has funded projects that include a pool lift for patients in physical therapy, a smoothie maker for the cafeteria, an arm ergometer machine for HealthStyles Fitness Center, patient TVs in the Ambulatory Surgery Unit, a treatment table for physical therapy, and a variety of materials for the pediatric therapies program.
“We couldn’t have done it without the support of our volunteers, attendees, sponsors, and, of course, the local chefs! Smoke ‘Em Up BBQ earned the most tips for the evening making them the Showcase Chef. Our second and third place chefs were Balance Restaurant and Ace’s Banquets & Catering, respectively. Congratulations and thank you to all!” said Kim Oleksa Foundations/Development Administrator.
Other participating chefs and restaurants were American Legion Post #137, Ancient Order of Hibernians, B&L Wine Cellars, Blaine Boring Chocolates, Chili’s Grill & Bar, Conzatti’s Italian Market, Eat-n-Park, Faranda Farms, Fresh Harvest, Galliker’s, The GobFather, Judy’s Rolls for All Occasions, Kaiser Embroidery Plus, LambCakes, Marie’s Nutcracker Sweet, Metz Culinary Management, Red Lobster, Rizzo’s Restaurant, Sarah’s Gourmet Pretzels, St. Anthony of Padua Church, and The Sweet Shoppe – Resurrection Parish.
In addition to tips and a 50/50 raffle, mystery envelopes filled with donated gift certificates, tickets, and other items were sold. Thank you to our mystery tree donors: Anthony’s Restaurant, Applebee’s, Bella’s Pizzeria, Black Raven Metaphysical Shoppe, Carlyn’s Restaurant, Chester’s Flower Shop, D’Arc’s Pizza Shop, Fine Wines of Windber, Firehouse Subs, Fruity Petals, HealthStyles Fitness Center at CSSMCW, Integrative Health at CSSMCW, Jo Jo’s Pizza, Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Leone’s Market, M&M Hair Design, Mimo’s Pizza, Peles Salon, Perkins Restaurant, Quaker Steak and Lube, Randy’s Bilo, Ray’s Nursery, Red Lobster, Something Extra Special, Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery, The Highlands at North Fork, and Thomas Mills & Windber Agway.
Thank you to our event sponsors Oxford Development Company, PSI Supply Chain Solutions, Slovenian Savings and Loan, and The Outhouse. Special thanks to our emcee Marty Radovanic and to the Windber High School football team for helping with set up.
Thank you to the Windber Health Care Foundation Auxiliary Members for their hard work in putting together this fantastic event. Thank you to Tana Csikos, Terry Davitch, Beverly Feldman, Barbara Gulick, Jacqueline Ivock, Jan Kotzan, Linda Malisko, Mary Ann Regula, Stephanie Mihalic, and Susan Nicklow. To join the Auxiliary team, please contact Kim Oleksa at 814-467-3705.
Pictured, L to R: Smoke Em’ Up BBQ Owners Josh and Leanne Korin, Balance Restaurant Executive Chef Dallas Pursley and Owner Amanda Artim, and Ace’s Banquets and Catering Chef Ty Salter.
Founded in 1906, Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber (CSSMCW) is an independent, non-profit acute care hospital in northern Somerset County, bordering Cambria County. The 54-bed hospital shares a campus and collaborates with Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber (CSSIMMW), a private, non-profit biomedical research center. With more than 450 employees, CSSMCW is the fourth largest employer in Somerset County. CSSMCW’s mission is to provide excellence in personalized, quality health care services through innovation, research and education in response to community needs. For more information visit www.windbercare.org.