# United Way fund raiser  Taste of the Grand Valley



## bbally (Feb 8, 2011)

We do several charity events every year.  As I posted earlier we donated a plated dinner party for 30 to Hospice that sold for a record single item offering of $9000.00!

United Way is another one of our chosen charities to support.  We like how most the money stays local to help the local community out.  They host a fund raiser called The Taste of the Grand Valley, that sees many caterers, restaurants, bakeries, and drink establishments coming to the convention center to offer tastings of their food.  You supply everything and they get all the money.  They give out trophies for Best of Taste, Best Theme, and Best of Show.  Only the public can vote, every ticket to enter the event comes with three vote cards, one for each category.  They are turned in as the guests leave the event anonymously.  We really like public choice events, it gives direct feed back as to what people really thought.

Our booth this year was a dinosaur theme.  Brontosaurus Snacks (Grilled vegetable couscous) Wild saber tusked boar (pulled pork) Pterodactyl wings (buffalo wings), T-Rex roast (brisket) and cave people treats (strawberry shortcake)  I know the cave people treats does not fit the era, but how to tie in strawberries otherwise?  And my cave woman bakery idea was killed as politically incorrect.

Setting up for service.








Mary Lou and I getting things together.







Zane and I setting stuff up and checking that we are ready for service.



















We host a fund raiser for the Museum of Western Colorado every year.  They also let us use the venue, where real dinosaur research is happening right in front of people in the labs, to have parties for our clients that want an unusual event venue.  So they lent us their dinosaur stuffed animal and then loaned us some real fossils (casts) found on Rigs Hill in Fruita.  One of the early dinosaur digs in the USA.



















When it was all done we tear it down and head home.













Brian is the gentleman in the background and Marilee is the very accomplished sous-chef in the front.  We include Brian in the public function as he is usually stuck in the dish pit all day turning pots and pans and all manner of stuff we grub up in the process of preparing to feed 2000 people.  He likes being able to come to help at the shows.







In the end about $25K was raised for the United Way and the awards?

Best Taste:   The Cowboy and The Rose Catering

Best Theme:  The Cowboy and The Rose Catering

Best of Show:  The Cowboy and The Rose Catering

Swept them... never been done before in nine years of doing this.  We usually win one of the awards, never clenched them all.


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## bmudd14474 (Feb 8, 2011)

congrats Bob


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## tyotrain (Feb 8, 2011)

wow great Job nice to see you do such good things for community


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## scarbelly (Feb 8, 2011)

Great job Bob. I love doing things for charity. With both of us still working it is really hard to do. You obviously knocked it out of the park again. Congrats and thank you


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## fpnmf (Feb 9, 2011)

Congrats!!

  Craig


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## shooter1 (Feb 9, 2011)

Awesome, congrats on sweeping all three categories! Everything looked great and its for a good cause as well.


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## realtorterry (Feb 9, 2011)

Bob you are the man!!


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