51 people joined Food for Greater Elgin at the Elgin Public House for a six-course, gourmet meal crafted by Owner-Chef Greg Shannon at the in-person portion of this year’s Pallet to Palate.
The meal featured such dishes as: Calamari steak on Moo Shu slaw with a roasted plum sauce and tempura crumble for an appetizer, cream-of-chicken and celeriac soup with crispy rice and celery leaf, duck four ways (a jalapeno stuffed with duck confit and manchego cheese wrapped in duck bacon, crispy duck prosciutto, and pickled raisins), double lamb rib, and a roasted apple bread pudding with mascarpone and honey caramel for dessert. Each course included a wine pairing.
While periodic gourmet meals are not unknown at EPH, none have been served since the onset of the COVID pandemic. For many, this was an eye-opening glimpse of a restaurant better known for gourmet hamburgers and beer.
FFGE Executive Director Michael Montgomery noted, “We are in awe of the work and culinary artistry given by Chef Greg and his EPH staff. It was a wonderful meal and a great time for a wonderfully-diverse collection of supporters who gathered to support our important work: Getting food to people in need.”
We are very grateful to Chef Greg and the corporate sponsors (Sysco) who donated the food and wine for the event.
This in-person event was only half of this year’s Pallet to Palate. On Friday evening, Greg and EPH were joined by Chef Frank Redisi and Café Roma to sell food boxes, complete with recipes, ingredients, and a link to cooking instructions for different DIY gourmet meals.
Café Roma offered Italian pasta meals with either sausage, chicken, or shrimp; EPH offered a choice of a New York Strip steak or mahi-mahi. About 80 boxes were sold. The competition between the two restaurants was polite but keen, with the people served by Food for Greater Elgin the ultimate winners!
Ticket sales are only part of the revenue stream for a fundraising event of this nature. Heritage-Crystal Clean was the primary event sponsor, and the Weber Corporation served as the platinum-level sponsor. Thank you to Ariano, Hardy, Ritt Law Frim, Ascension Saint Joseph Hospital, Ascension Saint Joseph Hirpital Hopkins Grease Co, PKF, and Lauderdale Electric for sponsoring P2P at the gold level.
Bronze sponsors included State Representative Anna Moeller, Fox Valley Orthopedics, Townhouse Books, Lance Kammes real Estate, Laborers International Union Local 58, Martin and Brigitte Nobs for Shared Harvest Elgin Food Cooperative, Wet and Forget, Elgin State Bank, and Blackhawk Bank.
Finally, thank you to our dedicated staff and volunteers who donated their time and energy to make this year’s event a smashing success.