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Health & Fitness

Michael Magro Foundation's "Evening of Tasting and Giving" Features a Night of Celebs!

It’s Monday morning, October 9th at the Magro home, and Terrie Magro is making her finishing touches to the baskets that would be proudly displayed that evening at the Carltun at Eisenhower Park. You see, Monday night was the 9th Annual Evening of Tasting and Giving, a yearly event that showcases local restaurants, bakeries and wineries. The vendors, who have appeared yearly for the event, bring about their yummy goodness for esteemed guests to try; the event benefit’s the Michael Magro Foundation, a nonprofit organization that was founded by Terrie and Paul Magro in 2005 after the passing of their son, Michael, from childhood leukemia.

This year’s event boasted loads of talent, as well. DJ Charles Henry was present to spin tunes while guests totaling over 500 enjoyed tables upon tables of local fare. World renowned pianist Philip Edward Fisher brought his tickling of the ivories to the event, with accompaniment by Dr. Louis Pannullo on the keyboard. Broadway stars Elizabeth Welch and Jeremy Stolle of “Phantom of the Opera” were available, as well, with a magical performance from the well-loved show. This was not the first performance for the Magro Foundation by Welch and Stolle; an evening at the Pannullo home on Sunday, October 6th, not only showcased their wonderful voices, but helped to bring in over $8,500 in donations for the organization; Saxophonist Richie Canata, who began his career with none other than Billy Joel, was available for the Sunday evening performance, as well. During the Evening of Tasting and Giving, Terrie and Paul were presented with a check for $8,505.00 from the Sunday night show. You would be hard pressed to find a dry eye in the house that night.

Cookbooks, written by Chef Paul, were available at the event for purchase; if interested, you can contact the Michael Magro Foundation to have one of your very own. I can personally vouch for the book - it’s fabulous, and has a lot of great recipes within its pages. I’ve even made a few of the meals, although I’ll admit that nothing tastes as yummy as Chef Paul’s dishes!

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Triple Crown Sports Memorabilia of Huntington, a supporter of the event for the past nine years, was on hand to design and set up the sports auction tables. Laguna Grill, a new restaurant present this year, had a wonderful table of goodies; Frank Minier, CEO and President of Laguna, was there with his wife, Elizabeth, who is the CEO of Mercato Kitchen and Cocktails of Massapequa Park. Fat Fish of Bay Shore, who has been a proud sponsor for years, had a fabulous table of the most succulent fish you could ever place upon your tongue. J. Michael’s of Northport had an expansive array of yummy goodness, along with an exquisite ice sculpture that dressed the table in shimmering elegance. Manhattan Beer, who donated two tables and all of the water for the event, have been long time supporters of the Michael Magro Foundation. Cascon Baking Company of Whitestone and Cardinali Pastry Shop of Carle Place were a few other vendors who took part in this tasty way to help those who are unable to help themselves.

Special kudos go to Black Dahlia Florist of Dix Hills for their beautiful artistry in floral design, as well as for their donation of all floral pieces for the event. Another mention goes to RIT Printing of Bay Shore, who has been an instrumental part of the event for the past nine years; RIT had graciously donated all invitations and the journal itself, as well as being responsible for the designing of each.

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Laurie Klewicki of Sweet Karma Desserts was present for the event, and was a vital volunteer for the evening. Klewicki, a student at Barry Tech Career and Technical School of Westbury under the tutelage of Paul Magro, described it as follows: “It was such a loving event…everything tasted really good, as usual! I wouldn’t expect anything less of Paul Magro; he was such a tough grader, because he wanted things set to a certain standard, and the food definitely was up to that standard!” Other volunteers were on hand, since early Monday morning, to assist in the transformation of the venue from simple room to elegant space; each basket was more beautiful than the one before it. Penguins, Michael’s favorite animal, decorated the entire ballroom; there was even a sequined penguin on hand for the event!

The night boasted a live auction, which featured a dinner for six in the home of the winner, created by Master Chef Paul Magro himself. The dinner sold for $1,600. In comparison, four Giants tickets sold for $650; according to Klewicki, “if they were playing better, the tickets would have sold for a lot more.”

The event ran from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm, and it was one of the most memorable events to date that the foundation has set forth. According to the final tallies, the fundraiser brought in $73,000 to help children with cancer, at the Cancer Care for Kids at Winthrop Hospital. “An Evening of Tasting and Giving” is held every October, so mark your calendars for next year’s event, which will be held at the Carltun in Eisenhower Park on Monday, October 6, 2014 - you’ll be glad you attended!

The Michael Magro Foundation is a 501 ©3 nonprofit organization that assists children with cancer and their families to meet the financial demands of the disease. For more information, please visit their website at www.michaelmagrofoundation.com. They can also be found on Facebook; give them a look, and give them a like!

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