Gourmet food, wine, cocktails, beer, cooking demonstration & more - all in one event

There are so many great causes to support and so many charitable events – how does one choose? For me it is the cause, and the cause is the Kidney Foundation and their fundraiser Santé: An Epicurean Adventure on Sunday, June 13th.

Santé (definition: Health)

There is an emotional tie to the Kidney Foundation after losing a friend and a cousin to kidney disease. My friend Peanut was the first live kidney transplant at John Hopkins Hospital and she gained about six more years to enjoy life but passed away when she was 30. My cousin, whose transplant failed, was spending her life on dialysis – she has been gone now over 30 years like Peanut. Advancements in science and your dollars have helped improve the lives of those with kidney disease and continue to do so. There is no Jerry Lewis Telethon here to raise dollars but there is Santé event offering you a steal on a gourmet and libation experience for a mere $75 per person (no tax, no gratuity).

The National Kidney Foundation of Maryland (NKF-MD) will feature a range of delicacies to please anyone’s palate at Santé: An Epicurean Adventure, occurring Sunday, June 13, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the American Visionary Art Museum (800 Key Hwy.) in downtown Baltimore.

Plans are under way for Santé to be one of the region’s premier food and beverage events. To whet your appetites, NKF-MD is revealing some of the culinary concoctions on the day’s bill of fare.

B&O American Brasserie – crispy pork belly with cherries and smoked balsamic
Chesapeake Fine Foods – Beluga caviar, crab cakes, smoked salmon and pastries
Crush – tuna tartare
Linwoods – coconut shrimp, crab cakes, crispy oysters, five-spiced duck and papaya served in wonton cups, filet of beef roulade, Moroccan meatballs and Thai-seared tuna
Milan – lobster mac and cheese
Parfections – chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate bark and filled truffles

Additional selections will come from such restaurants and food purveyors as: Blue Hill Tavern, Clementine, Corks, Neopol Savory Smokery, RA Sushi, Taharka Bros. Ice Cream and The Wine Market.

Rounding out the menu will be items prepared during live culinary demonstrations from such notable chefs as Joy Ludwig (pastry chef at Charleston), Sandy Lawler (chef/owner of Feast @ 4 East) and Jesse Sandlin (executive chef at Vino Rosina, who appeared on Bravo’s Top Chef).

Santé guests can pair their culinary selections with their choice of brew. American craft beer vendors include Allagash, The Brewer’s Art, Flying Dog, Harpoon, Heavy Seas, Lagunitas, North Coast, Smuttynose, Stillwater Artisanal Ales, Stone, 21st Amendment and Weyerbacher.

European beers include Ayinger (Germany), Lindeman’s (Belgium), Orval (Belgium), Pinkus Organic (Germany), Rochefort, (Belgium), Samuel Smith (England), Traquair House Ale (Scotland), Westmalle (Belgium) and Zatec (Czech Republic).

What’s more, Aveniu Brands will pour wines from around the world; the Maryland Wine Association will serve Maryland’s best wines, and Boylan Bottling will provide artisanal sodas using all-natural ingredients.

Kicking off the event, a VIP reception at 2 p.m. will feature guided tastings not available at the main event, including gin by Nelson Carey (sommelier and owner of Grand Cru wine bar and a Santé honorary chair), rum by Joe Squared owner Joe Edwardsen, and tequila by Blue Agave owner Liz Atwood. It also will include premium food and beverage pairings.

Complementing the afternoon’s culinary demos will be a presentation on mixing classic cocktails from Brendan Dorr (head bartender at B&O American Brasserie and a Santé honorary chair), a food and wine pairing demo by Jerry Edwards (chef/owner of Chef’s Expressions) and interactive, informal wine tasting instruction from Laurie Forster, aka “The Wine Coach.”

For additional enjoyment, Santé will feature live music by Bob Margolis & The Blues Philosophers and Daysahead, and a silent auction offering gourmet wine dinners, sports memorabilia, work by local artists and more.

Honorary Chairs supporting the event with Nelson Carey and Brendan Dorr are Hugh Sisson (managing partner of Clipper City Brewing Co.) and Jerry Pellegrino (chef/owner of Corks and Abacrombie).

Diane Lyn (101.9 Lite FM’s morning show and midday personality) will host Santé. Corporate chairs are Patrick Turner (president of Turner Development Group) and William Yerman (CEO of The Strata Group). Event chairs are Jessica P. Butkera (an associate at Chason, Rosner, Leary & Marshall, LLC) and M. Ryan Weir Jr. (manager of M&T Bank’s Ruxton branch).

Santé proceeds will help NKF-MD to expand its patient services, education and research efforts. Tickets are as follows: premium tasting: $100/person; general admission: $75/person in advance, $85 at the door, and $40 for designated drivers (no alcohol). Sponsorships also are available. For tickets, sponsorship or volunteer information, visit www.santebaltimore.com or call 443-322-0377.

The National Kidney Foundation of Maryland, serving central and western Maryland, the Delmarva Peninsula and portions of West Virginia, is the area’s only voluntary health agency dedicated to the prevention, treatment and cure of kidney and urinary tract diseases. For more information, call 410-494-8545 or visit www.kidneymd.org.