No Gazing, Plenty of Stars

The dinner billed as “Stargazing Vegetarian” turned out to be neither (but not in a bad way).   There were, however, plenty of cosmic vibes!

It was a warm day in early Spring in Ashton.  Greg and Nadine Mort opened their beautiful, mid-century rambler full of Greg’s artwork and astronomical objects to the last OFAM fundraising dinner of the 2013-14 season.  There was food, drink, and entertainment to be had, in abundance.  Alas, when it came time to do the stargazing, the sky had clouded over!  Never mind, the ever-resourceful Greg substituted an entertaining lecture instead.

The table was beautifully set with Nadine’s crystal and china.

Table Setting With View of the Living Room

Table Setting With View of the Telescope

Table Setting Detail

And a View of the Outside

The volunteers gathered to discuss the service, and the chef, Evelyn Bunoan, and her husband Oscar, set up the buffet.  Chef Evelyn is Master Chef and owner of Philippine Oriental Market and Deli, and has been named one of the most influential Filipina women in the US by the Filipina Women’s Network.

Volunteers Strategizing Before Dinner: Unknown, Dawn, Nancy, Jacob, Bobbi, Janet

Chef Evelyn and Oscar Set Up the Buffet

Elyse Kudo, of Jackson Family Fine Wines, generously donated red and white wine.  Here she is with Nadine and Greg, with the setup for the wine and Nadine’s Cosmic Cocktails.

Elyse, Nadine, Greg

As the guests arrived, the servers passed around hors d’oeuvres with the cocktails.

Mingling Over Drinks

Then we headed across the lawn to the observatory for a look at the big telescope,

On Wheels!

and the bigger telescope.

It Has Its Own House

Chef Evelyn cooked one of the dinner dishes right in front of everyone, and then the buffet of wonderful Philippine food was spread for the guests to fill their plates.

Chef Evelyn Demonstrates a Noodle Dish

The Buffet

Although the dinner was mainly vegetarian, there were two dishes with fish and crabmeat, so there was something for everyone.

My Plate

At dinner, Elyse described the wines we were drinking, and Janet Terry, OFAM President,  thanked everyone for their wonderful patronage of the Market.

Elyse Talks About the Wine

Janet Waxes Enthusiastic About the Market

For dessert, a grand selection of dishes, some by our Market producers, and others by volunteers, was offered; and a violinist, Jeff Issokson, entertained.

Dessert Buffet

A Selection of Exotic Fruit

Then came the “consolation” lecture, to replace the cloud-occluded stargazing.  No one was disappointed.  Or, as one delighted guest said, “It just keeps coming!  I never expected all these extras!”

Greg Enlightens the Guests

The guests were given copies of a book full of Greg’s wonderful artwork as souvenirs of a most delightful evening!

The money raised by this and other fundraisers will allow the Market to supplement the Farmers Market SNAP and WIC programs.  We thank all the generous patrons who contribute to our efforts to promote good nutrition in our area.