The Essence of Olive Oil Wrap Up

2/09/10

Last week we held a new fundraising event that was unlike any other in our organization’s history. The Essence of Olive Oil; An Olive Oil & Food Pairing Experience, brought 40 people to our office to taste some of the world’s finest gourmet olive oils and sample delicious authentic Italian cuisine at the same time.

Many hours of planning and preparation go into events like this and I want to thank everyone who had a part in making The Essence of Olive Oil such a success.

Special Thank You To The Following:

• Field Reicardt of The Organic Olive Oil Company for his expertise on this subject
• Our friends and office neighbors at Baker Tent & Party Rental for allowing us to use part of their space to host the event and for their generosity with tables, chairs, and linens
• Randy Baker from Baker Catering for catering the event and allowing Chef Maria Cristina to use his kitchen to cook the food
• Amy Ruis from Art of The Table for providing refreshments and for donating a portion of olive oil sales back to Alternatives in Motion
• Lisa Sisson, Charlie Baker-Clark, and the GVSU Hospitality & Tourism Management department for their help with preparing the food, providing volunteers, and arranging for Chef Maria Cristina to be an integral part of this event
• eightWest, Grand Rapids Social Diary, The Grand Rapids Press, and the WGVU Morning Show With Shelley Irwin for promoting this event to the residents of West Michigan
• Kurt & Kyle Spieker for volunteering to be our parking lot attendants on a cold February evening
• Janet Rininger, our GVSU intern who worked on this event from start to finish and played a key role in pulling it all together

Of course, we also have to thank all of our guests for attending the event and supporting Alternatives in Motion. Thank you for helping us Give the Gift of Mobility! 

Click here to check out pictures from The Essence of Olive Oil 

~Matt Chapman
Director of Marketing & Special Events