Get your appetites on.
The Bronx YMCA’s most important annual fund-raiser – a culinary caravan of mouth watering delights – is next week.
The annual Bon Appetit at the Bronx Y will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18.
The evening will feature cuisine tasting from some of the borough’s finest restaurants, as well as ceremonies honoring six outstanding individuals for their commitment to the local recreational facility.
“We usually have between 15 and 20 restaurants with their most famous and fabulous dishes,” said Bronx YMCA executive director Sharlene Brown. “There is also time for networking, raffles, music and a silent auction.”
Bon Appe√tit is the signature event in terms of fundraising for the Bronx Y, she said. This year’s master of ceremonies is BronxTalk host Gary Axelbank.
“We transform the Y into an elegant venue,” said Geri Sciortino, chairwoman of its board of directors. “It really gets people to come and see the Y. It is right on the water and a beautiful facility, but many people don’t even know it exists.”
A committee including Brown and Sciortino selected people from different fields – as diverse as community relations to health and education – to be honored at the event.
Selected this year is the Hutchinson Metro Center’s Joe Kelleher, KZA Realty owner Kathy Zamechansky, Havana Cafe owner Kevin Alicea, P.S. 154 principal Allison Coviello, P.S. 154 assistant principal Jessica Cruz, and Montefiore Medical Center’s Dr. Nicole Harris-Hollingsworth.
•Alicea is one of three founders of the popular Havana Cafe, at 3151 E. Tremont Avenue and at Orchard Beach.
•Coviello is principal of P.S. 154, located in Mott Haven, in the poorest congressional district in the United States.
•Cruz has worked alongside Dr. Alison Coviello to improve the quality of education and create a positive learning environment at P.S. 154. Prior to that she worked as member of Children First Network 408 where she supported over 20 of the city’s most struggling schools.
•Hollingsworth is a Certified Health Education Specialist who serves as senior director of community & population health at Montefiore.
•Kelleher is a well-known and respected business leader who has made significant contributions to the Bronx, and currently serves as president and chief operating officer of the Hutch Management LLC, which runs the Hutchinson Metro Center.
•Zamechansky is a realtor who is involved in major developments not only in the Bronx but also throughout the city.
Tickets for the event are $100 per person.
For more information call Debbie Adams at (718) 792-9736 ext. 209 or e-mail deadams@ymca.org.
