Chefs, local celebrities cook at fundraiser

About 250 people raised $300,000 at a northeast Phoenix resort this week to help decrease the number of babies born prematurely.

Seven teams of chefs and local celebrities prepared samplings for the guests at the inaugural March of Dimes Signature Chefs and Celebrities at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa.

Each chef auctioned off a culinary experience accompanied with more extravagant gifts. The packages, along with a silent auction, raised $300,000 for the March of Dimes.

"It was great. It was fabulous," said Janice Decker, March of Dimes state director. "These dollars are going to go towards finding the causes and cures for premature birth. Our celebrities and our chefs helped raise these funds. We've created increased awareness, and we were able to raise money to fund our mission."

Among the local celebrities were U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl and his wife, Caryll, and former Phoenix Suns player Alvan Adams. Chefs from Deseo restaurant as well as the Orange Tree Resort offered their culinary expertise.

"The celebrities assisted the chefs in preparing and serving their signature dishes," Decker said. "We had our emcee go around and kind of interview each chef and celebrity as to what they were fixing."

Channel 5 (KPHO) chief meteorologist, Sean McLaughlin, helped Skye chef Scott Tompkins prepare seared yellowtail tuna and roast corn chowder.

"I ran up there in between shows, and it was wonderful," McLaughlin said. "In these economic times, for people to come out on a Wednesday night and these big-name chefs to be away from their restaurants for several hours and donate as much as they did is a true testament to the fact that people believe in the mission of the March of Dimes, that every baby deserves to be born healthy."

Decker said one of the best things about the event was that it wasn't about coming in first place for the chefs but about the cause.

"It wasn't a competition, it was all about the babies," she said. "The chefs and the celebrities donated their time, their products, their creativity to benefit the babies."

Seven teams of chefs and local celebrities prepared samplings for the guests at the inaugural March of Dimes Signature Chefs and Celebrities at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa.