Event raises funds for scholarships

LACEY

Saint Martin’s University’s annual black-tie gala Nov. 2 will be hosted by chef Michael Symon, best known as a co-host of ABC’s “The Chew” and for winning the Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef” competition in 2007.

The gala, which combines a cooking demonstration with live and silent auctions, raises funds for student scholarships. (Last year’s gala raised over $750,000.) Symon will prepare a multi-course dinner on stage; after he cooks each course it will be served to the audience, followed by three to five live auction items. The menu ranges from a bacon-laden pasta to lamb to homemade pickles.

The 19 items in the live auction include a trip to Italy with a private tour of the Vatican, a reef net fishing trip off Lummi Island, a Holland America cruise, an Italian picnic for 30, and dinner with the University’s monks at their bayside lodge. A position as Symon’s sous chef for the evening is also up for grabs, as are bar stool seats on stage for each course.

Tickets for the event, which will be held on campus in the Marcus Pavilion, are available either by the table, which seats 10, or individually, though the $400 individual tickets are limited. Tables range from $3,500 to $35,000, with the $35,000 table being on-stage, served by Symon himself.

The gala reception begins at 5 p.m., followed by the main event at 7 p.m. There is an additional private reception from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. with Symon for patrons at the $25,000 tables. For more information, call 360-486-8885 or visit www.stmartin.edu/gala.

October 23, 2013