News Releases
News from Lane Community College
June 18, 2009
STEPHANIE PEARL KIMMEL TO PRESENT 'OREGON’S FALL BOUNTY' AT LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S 2009 HARVEST DINNER
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Stephanie Pearl Kimmel |
Annual Fund-raiser Showcases Culinary Students and Creates Scholarships for Students in All Lane Programs
Eugene, Ore. - James Beard Award nominee and founding chef/owner of Marché Restaurant Stephanie Pearl Kimmel will be the guest chef at the seventh annual Lane Community College Harvest Dinner and benefit auction, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009, at Lane's Center for Meeting and Learning on the main campus.
Pearl Kimmel will work alongside more than 100 students in Lane Community College's culinary arts and hospitality management program to prepare a gourmet meal for guests at this annual fund-raising event and auction, which is a co-production of the Lane Community College Foundation and Lane's culinary arts and hospitality management program. Proceeds from the event create scholarships for students in all programs at Lane Community College. The theme of this year's event is "Oregon’s Fall Bounty."
"We are so fortunate to have a guest chef who is both supremely accomplished and extremely devoted to our local community," says Mary Spilde, Lane Community College president. "Stephanie is a pioneer in the movement toward local, sustainable ingredients and is the perfect choice for an event that helps cultivate the chefs of tomorrow."
A native of Texas, Pearl Kimmel discovered a love of food at an early age while traveling the world with her parents. She took her first restaurant job to help pay for college and found her true passion was for cooking.
Pearl Kimmel opened the Excelsior Café in Eugene in 1972, helping to pioneer a Northwest culinary movement with her use of seasonal menus. After selling the restaurant, she took an extended trip to France where she refined her approach to market-oriented cooking.
Upon her return, she developed the culinary program at King Estate Winery, wrote several cookbooks and participated in other projects including the James Beard Award nominated "New American Cuisine" TV series.
In 1997, Pearl Kimmel opened the casual, French-inspired Marché Café in Eugene's Fifth Street Public Market. The following year, she opened the full-service Marché Restaurant, and she has since opened Marché Provisions, a European-style food emporium also located in the public market. Most recently, she has established Marché Museum Café at the University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
Always active in the community, Pearl Kimmel has served as a member of the Chefs Collaborative and as a board member for the International Pinot Noir Celebration and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, a national organization dedicated to the advancement of women in the culinary world. She was nominated for the James Beard Award in 2006. She currently serves on the advisory board of the Oregon Truffle Festival.
About the Harvest Dinner
The Harvest Dinner is a co-production of the Lane Community College Foundation and Lane's Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program and benefits student scholarships and college programs. This year's event, sponsored by Trillium Community Health Plan and chaired by Jim and Suzi Creech, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at the Center for Meeting and Learning on Lane’s main campus, 4000 E. 30th Ave., Eugene. For driving directions, visit 2011sitearchive.lanecc.edu/center/directions/. For sponsorship details, volunteer opportunities and other information, call (541) 463-5226 or (541) 463-5777 or e-mail foundation@lanecc.edu.
About the LCC Foundation
The Lane Community College Foundation provides an opportunity to achieve personal goals for aspiring students who have overcome obstacles in their lives. Each scholarship recipient has a unique story and a personal hope for the future. The Lane Community College Foundation transforms lives by providing these students with the opportunity to learn, grow and contribute to their community. For more information visit 2011sitearchive.lanecc.edu/foundation.
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Contacts:
Joan Aschim, Lane Community College, (541) 463-5591, aschimj@lanecc.edu
Janet Anderson, Lane Community College Foundation, (541) 463-5803, andersonj@lanecc.edu
Monica Shovlin, The Ulum Group, (541) 434-7028, mshovlin@ulum.com
