MARLBORO EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION’S RESTAURANT TASTING EVENING IS AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS

The Marlboro Educational Foundation is proud to announce that its first annual 2006 Restaurant Tasting Evening held on Monday April 24th at The Excelsior catering hall on Route 9 South in Manalapan, was a huge success.   Over 500 people attended the event which raised more than $42,000 for the Foundation.

             The Foundation wishes to acknowledge ACD Custom Granite, Epic Management, Inc., and LDP Consulting Group for being major sponsors of this event. The event hosted 42 local exhibitors who showcased food, desserts, liquors, wines, and other beverages. Twenty-seven restaurants served tasting portions of their signature main dishes while 15 vendors provided desserts, liquor, and beverages. The participating restaurants were: A Tavola Ristorante, Bart's Continental Cuisine, Brandl, Brioso’s, Fiddleheads Restaurant, Fratelli Ravioli, Freehold Grand Buffet, , Island Taste, Kyoto Restaurant, Le Fandy, Mahzu, Main Street Bistro, Metropolitan Café, Mike and Nellie's, Mixed Greens, Nonna’s, Oceania Restaurant, Peppadew, Renaissance Diner, Simply Zen, Solo Trattoria Pizzeria, Tzu Chi Foundation, Cornerstone Caffé & Restaurant, The Excelsior, and Bella Sogno. The local vendors were: CMSC Spirits Group, InBev USA. Margarita Man, Mountain Spring Water of America, New Castle Imports, Remy Cointreau, USA, The Coca-Cola Company, Scara’s Ices, Serenellas, Starbucks Coffee Company, Ted Can Cook, Too!, The Brooklyn Cheesecake & Dessert Company, The Melting Pot, Wegmans, and Whole Foods. There was a palpable buzz in the air all evening as  the attendees,  restaurants, exhibitors, and vendors enjoyed the great food and drinks. The catering hall was beautifully decorated by It’s Your Party. Music provided by Unique Musique gave a festive air to the evening and the photography by Scott Photographers added just the right touch of excitement.  Pictures shot by Scott Photographers can be viewed on the Marlboro Educational Foundation website at www.marlboroeducationalfoundation.org.

There were door prizes for lucky attendees and a silent auction of 85 hand-wrapped baskets which raised over $9,300.   The beautiful baskets were filled with items ranging from DVD players, Broadway theater tickets, sports memorabilia, jewelry, and gift certificates.   One of the highlights of the evening was when Ms. Sue Seber, a special education teacher at the Dugan Elementary School, unlocked a jewelry case containing a diamond pendant necklace and earrings valued at $2,300.  Only one lucky key out of 101 keys sold could unlock the jewelry case.  All the keys were sold at a cost of $20 per key, raising an additional $2,020.  The pendant necklace and earrings were donated by Marlboro Diamond Castle Jewelers. In addition to the ticket sales, local businesses advertised in the event Journal that was handed out to all attendees.  The advertising generated revenues in excess of $19,000. 

The Marlboro Educational Foundation, formed in 2000, is a group of Marlboro residents and area business people dedicated to enriching the educational experience of the township’s K-8 school children.  All monies raised by the Foundation are used to fund new programs and grants.  Teachers of the Marlboro school district apply for grants in the areas of technology, the arts, and cultural programs. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that is independent of the Marlboro K-8 School District and provides the grants to supplement the children’s education.

Barbara Spilken, the event committee chairperson, and Teja Anderson, the Foundation chair, were extremely pleased at the outcome of this event. All of the Board of Trustees worked very hard to pull off such a successful evening. The Marlboro Educational Foundation looks forward to many more fund raising events in the future. Anyone seeking information about the foundation should contact Teja Anderson at (732) 817-1482 or visit the website at www.marlboroeducationalfoundation.org.

Click here to view Wine Tasting Event held in November 2005.

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