Seattle Central Community College’s 14th Annual Harvest Dinner to feature guest chef Greg Atkinson
Greg Atkinson, culinary director of Organic To Go and the author of award-winning cookbooks, will be the guest chef at Seattle Central Community College’s 14th annual Harvest Dinner on Saturday, October 22, at 6 p.m.
The event, sponsored by the Seattle Central Foundation, begins with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by the dinner and auction at 7:15 p.m. The event will be held in the Fine Dining Room and Atrium at the college, 1701 Broadway.
“From Farm to Fork” is the theme for the evening, highlighting the new emphasis on sustainability being integrated into the curriculum at the college’s award-winning Seattle Culinary Academy.
Atkinson will direct culinary students in preparing the dinner, which will feature recipes from his latest cookbook, “Entertaining in the Northwest Style.”
A respected member of the northwest food community for more than 20 years, Atkinson earned national acclaim while executive chef at Canlis, placing the restaurant among the “Fifty Best Restaurants” in Gourmet magazine and in the Saveur 100. As chef at IslandWood, an environmental learning center on Bainbridge Island, Atkinson was instrumental in establishing the sustainable cuisine program that helps school-age children understand the impact of their food choices on the natural world.
Winner of the James Beard Foundation’s M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award 2000, Atkinson is a contributing editor for “Food Arts” and a regular contributor to “Pacific Northwest Magazine,” the Seattle Times’ Sunday magazine.
His previous cookbooks include “In Season” and “The Northwest Essentials Cookbook.”
The evening will also feature presentation of the Broadway-Edison Culinary Award to The Bullitt Foundation. This award is given annually by the Seattle Central Foundation to a person or organization in recognition of outstanding culinary and civic contributions.
The 2005 Award to the Bullitt Foundation honors the philanthropic achievements of the foundation toward sustainable food systems.
The Bullitt Foundation was established in 1952 by Mrs. Dorothy Bullitt, founder and owner of the King Radio and Television empire. In the first year, the foundation gave away about $6,000, with funds going to such causes as Children’s Hospital, Seattle Symphony and United Good Neighbors.
By the time Mrs. Bullitt died in 1989, the foundation endowment had grown to around $4 million. A bequest of King Broadcasting stock and the subsequent sale of the station increased the assets of the foundation to approximately $80 million. Since then, Bullitt grants have totaled about $5 million per year.
Over the years, the mission of the foundation was gradually redefined. Since 1992, the Pacific Northwest environment has been the Bullitt Foundation’s single focus, and for seven of those years, one of the priorities has been conservation and stewardship of agriculture.
The Harvest Dinner and Auction raises funds for the Seattle Central Foundation and the Seattle Culinary Academy. Funds support scholarships, tutoring, child care, and faculty development. Last year the event raised nearly $135,000.
Among the items headlining this year’s auction are a day of mushroom hunting with Patrice Benson, vice president of the Puget Sound Mycological Society; lunch for six at the Chihuly Boat House, catered by Schwartz Brothers Restaurants; and a dinner for eight prepared by 2005 guest chef Atkinson.
Sponsors for the event include Bargreen-Ellingson, The Boeing Company, Dick’s Drive-In, the Food Alliance, Preston, Gates & Ellis LLP, the Space Needle and Washington Trust Bank.
For ticket information, please contact the college at (206) 934-6945. Tickets start at $150.