Old National Bank’s fundraiser, 100 Men Who Cook, begins at 6:30 p.m. May 18 at the Owensboro Convention Center.
The theme for this year is Superheroes and Villains. Chefs can dress in costume and decorate their areas, and awards will be given to the best costume and display and the team that raises the most money.
Old National Bank has hosted the event for 10 years, but this will be the fifth time the 100 Men Who Cook fundraiser has been hosted in Owensboro. The first year, the event raised $81,000, and last year over $100,000 was raised.
The sole beneficiary of the proceeds in the past have gone to the Cliff Hagan Boys and Girls Club, but last year, the committee decided to divide it between the Owensboro Family YMCA and the Cliff Hagan Boys and Girls Club.
Sarah O’Bryan, assistant vice president and banking center manager said this year, the committee wanted to do something to honor and thank local veterans for their service, so this year, $25,000 will go to Honor Flight Bluegrass, the non-profit organization that takes veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the nation’s war memorials.
Keith Cain and Matt Ralph, who assist with the coordination of Owensboro Honor Flights shared several stories with O’Bryan and, although Cain and Ralph did not solicit any funds to help, this should help about 50 veterans make the trip to the memorials.
“The rate at which WWII veterans are dying was something we considered,” O’Byran said. “The Honor Flight is very emotional for the veteran and their guardian — it’s almost cathartic.”
The rest of the proceeds from the event will go to Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club to help with programming and teaching life skills to participants who may not otherwise have an opportunity to learn.
O’Bryan said they are hoping to exceed last year’s numbers. She said the community has recognized, through social media posts and chef participants asking for donations, that the money is being given to the Honor Flight and military and this has helped increase the donations so far. In fact, the posts that mention the Honor Flight see more shares, O’Bryan said.
“This community is a very generous community,” O’Bryan said. “$130,000 would be the icing on the cake.”
As of Monday, the event is about 15 chefs short for the event, but O’Bryan is not surprised given this time of year and its obligations. She hopes that more will sign up.
“We like to have 80-100 chefs prepare their dishes, but the likelihood that attendees will visit each chef’s booth is slim to none,” O’Bryan said. “We provide a program for each attendee that lists the chef and the dish each prepared so they can see which they want to visit.”
Each chef is asked to raise between $300 and $500 for the event, but most exceed that number.
Steve Kassinger has participated for the last three years. He sits on the board of directors for the Cliff Hagan Boys and Girls Club so this event is important to him.
“The money from the event enables the club to provide programs for the youth of the community,” Kassinger said. “The youth that is served through the club are our future leaders of this community, so the more we provide the club with the better the community will be in the end. Brian Bickett and I did it the first year and we had so much fun we have just continued to participate.”
Kassinger said he does not cook anything extravagant at home, but the competitive nature of this event is what keeps him fueled to keep fundraising — all in good spirit. As an employee of Mizkan America Inc, he tries to use a Ragu or Bertolli product in his creation.
He said everyone involved in this event is making a difference and that it provides an opportunity to see men of this community doing something they would normally not do. It also provides an opportunity for his children to see that there are unique ways to give back.
“I take the approach that if I can raise a lot of money and push others to raise more, then that means more money for the club,” Kassinger said. “My goal is to come in second place — meaning someone else raised more so the event did better because of it … however, it is fun to win as Brian and I did last year.”
Wayne Benoit is new to the event this year. As an employee at Boardwalk Pipeline in the Commercial group, he expanded his fundraising efforts and has asked other areas within the company — even out of town. He has also found success with posts on Facebook.
Benoit enjoys cooking at home and said that he has several outdoor cooking appliances — from smokers to crawfish boiling pots and enjoys cooking. He will be offering guests Southwest Louisiana-style gumbo, a dish he has been creating since his late teens.
“I like to cook for large groups of family and friends, and I always hear how it’s the best gumbo they have ever had,” Benoit said.
He is hoping that he can talk those who stop by his table to go “true Cajun” and add a dollop of his homemade potato salad into the gumbo.
“The two flavors will make your tongue slap your brain, but it’s ok if they don’t — we can put it on the side,” Benoit said.
Benoit will be assisted by Joe Hager and they have some special costumes planned for the event.
“As a first-time participant, I hope my fundraising makes a difference in the lives of the children and veterans,” Benoit said. “ I hope people attend this great event and swing by my booth for the great tasting SW Louisiana gumbo and entertainment.”
Guests can tip chefs online before the event at owensboro.100menwhocook.com, where there is a running leaderboard, or at the stations at the event.
Individuals or teams who would like to sign up as chefs may contact O’Bryan at sarah.o’[email protected] or 270-691-2022. The deadline to volunteer is April 30.
For more information about the event, go to owensboro.100menwhocook.com.
Tickets cost $65 per person or $550 for a table of eight. To buy tickets, call 270-691-2022 or email sarah.o’[email protected].
