- April 25, 2024
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Shannon Shuel, Jenn Stutler and Co-Chairwoman Renee Phinney
Michael Klauber pretends to speak for his wife Terri Klauber, the Co-Chairwoman for the event who was sick and unable to attend.
Laila Gonzalez performs a hula dance.
Mike and Judy Scharf
Jovanna Morgan, Anolay Senenoi and Katie Biter
The silent auction table was adorned with orchids and bamboo to add to the Hawaiian theme of the event.
Doug Horuczi and Peter Burk
Jessica Walsh and Amanda Waag
Regional Director of Make-A-Wish Central and Northern Florida Rebecca Blitz encourages the crowd to get louder.
Trish Layton and Jessica Corris
Donna Koffman and Tomeika Koski
Co-Chairwoman Renee Phinney addresses the crowd.
Alison Elizalde and Elaine Barber
Debbie Olson, Terri Saba and Julie Johnson
Heidi and Gary Sankes
Gray Swor, Christina Bonilla and Barb Laneer
Sally Schule, Susan Malloy Jones, Kelly Abercrombie and Taylor Mock
Fran Johnson prepares the first course for her table.
Erin Christy
Scott Allen and Bob Wolfe
Cooking for Wishes was held at Michael’s On East on Feb. 23.
Co-Chairwoman Renee Phinney, Regional Director of Make-A-Wish Central and Northern Florida Rebecca Blitz, Michael Klauber, Jamil Pineda and Phil Mancini
Veronica Gonzalez
Ashlee Desoto and Dr. Brad Lerner
Tom and Sherry Koski
Table hosts Lisa Jayne Wallace and Gina Warren and their guests, who wear tiaras to the event every year
Cooking for Wishes was held at Michael’s On East on Feb. 23.
Cooking for Wishes was held at Michael’s On East on Feb. 23.
Ilana Nunez and Amanda Nunez
Sarah Garrison, Jo Jaworske, Linda Krysinski, Liz Manes, Jill Meistrich and John Revisky
Michael’s On East was the epitome of organized chaos Feb. 23 when the ballroom was packed for Make-A-Wish Central and Northern Florida’s most lively fundraiser: Cooking for Wishes.
The interactive luncheon gives guests the opportunity to not only eat, drink and be merry but also to make their own dishes at their table with the help of Phil Mancini, Jamil Pineda and the Michael’s On East serving staff.
This year’s event was themed “A Taste of the Hawaiian Islands” so the dishes were all inspired by the tropics. For a first course, guests enjoyed Hawaiian shell fish stew made with sauteed shrimp, green lip mussels and calamari in a coconut spiced clam broth. The second course featured a Hawaiian chicken with basmati rice, and the third course was a shoyu chop steak. To top is all off, everyone dined on pineapple colada flambe for dessert.
Event-goers were reminded of why they were there for the fun afternoon when Regional Director of Make-A-Wish Central and Northern Florida Rebecca Blitz stood up to explain some of the wishes that have recently been granted to seriously ill children in Sarasota and Manatee Counties: a swingset, a bike for a double amputee, a trip to meet the Pope and many more.
Guests also got the chance to bid on several silent auctions items to raise money for more wishes — including a weekend with a Porsche — as well as several live auction items ranging from a weekend getaway at Bluebird Cove Lodge in North Carolina to a Mekong River Cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia.
