l-r Jennifer Maloney, Café Sebastienne; Bonnie Culley, Boju Catering; Debbie Gold, 40 Sardine’s; Theresa Meloy, Lidia’s; Kathy Peirce, Friendship House & Catherine’s Place Board of Driectors, Event Co-Chair; Anna Marrow, Webster House; Celina Tio, The American Restaurant.

The usual purpose of this column is to tell you about a good-to-great restaurant to which you can take a client for a business lunch or dinner. This month, though, the topic is “cause eating” and some great chefs who probably deserve more attention than they get.

“Cause eating” is my term for meals that benefit a charity. These meals, no, call them events, come in a variety of thin disguises, from restaurant openings to award presentations to full galas. People go, have a wonderful meal (if they’re very lucky) and most of the money (if they’re very lucky) goes back to the charity.

Such a lucky night was “Les Belles Chefs,” hosted by Friendship House last month at the Central Exchange. The mission of Friendship House and their new Catherine’s Place is to provide a safe haven where women who are in recovery from alcohol and other addictions learn to live as sober and economically self-reliant adults. It’s an organization that has served over 500 women in its 10 year history and claims a more successful-than-average success rate, with 50 percent of its clients sustaining sobriety where the national rate ranges from 10 to 30 percent.

It’s also an organization which has figured out that while helping others, people do like to eat superbly prepared food. Advisory board member, Lou Jane Temple, well known local author and chef, said, “Let’s do a dinner and have the best female chefs in Kansas City cook.” I don’t mean to categorize—many would leave out the 50% gender reduction. Anyway, she got them to agree and this year was the 2nd annual event, attended by over 100 people and raising over $12,000. Not bad for a meal, huh?

There’s something so satisfying about not having to choose and knowing you’re still getting the very best. For starters, Brenda Burns of Californos prepared little blue cheese medallions with a toasted walnut crust on baguette slices—two delicious bites and you begged for more. Celina Tio of The American Restaurant began the table service with spicy house-cured duck slices on thyme roasted spaghetti squash with drizzles of juniper oil.You barely had to chew. The seared scallops came next from Jennifer Maloney of Café Sebastienne—mine were perfectly done, quite a trick when you’re serving 100 people at one time. They rested on corn polenta with a wild mushroom and tomatillo sauce that created a beautiful and tasteful contrast. The pasta course came from Theresa Meloy of Lidia’s. Her handmade potato gnocchi in a butter sauce lightly sage infused had to be a labor of love, because each forkful was a true pleasure. I wanted to lick my plate.

By now we’re all pretty full, but still valiant. We charge into the two lamb chops by Debbie Gold of 40 Sardines. They’re pretty darlings, accented by squash and apple bread salad, a perfect accompaniment. It’s time for something lighter so the next course is the salad, created by Bonnie Culley of the Boju Catering Company. A beautiful collection of mixed greens with walnuts, pink grapefruit, avocado, and blue cheese dressing, it’s almost cleansing in its freshness. Because you’re eating for a higher purpose, dessert is mandatory. Particularly if it’s profiteroles prepared by Anna Marrow from Webster House and Betty Bremser of Foo’s Fabulous Custard with hazelnut ice cream, poached pears and chocolate caramel sauce. By now, people are groaning—but what an ending!

What an evening. The silent auction for those who wished to indulge in other fancies, the harpist’s melodic plucking, eight superb chefs all contributing their time and talent, the ambience of an elegant downtown club donated for the night, all combined to make Friendship House truly a cause worth celebrating. Look for this event next October, and while you’re waiting, find the others so that you can happily begin eating.
Just beCAUSE.