Capital Area Food Bank » Blue Jeans Ball

Denim, Dining & Dancing ~ Recipe for Success!

Jana Robinson — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:02:33 +0000

If you were not at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in your denim on March 28th for the 7^th Annual Blue Jeans Ball – you missed a tasty event! The ball was in a new location this year and I think it worked in our favor! The guests seemed to enjoy the savory dishes, stand out cake designs and creatively packaged auction items. The theme that carried through the evening was our 30^th Anniversary. This was definitely a special night for the food bank!

Savory smells filled the room from top restaurants like Central Michel Richard, PS 7s, Eatonville and Ris. The favorites of the night were definitely the lamb chops from Goodstone Inn, burgers from the Marriott Wardman Park and cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake. A long time supporter and donor of the food bank, The Best Cookie also had great time as guests flocked to her table to sample her delicious cookies! We had a little something for everyone. The talk of the night was also the “Parade of Cakes” challenge, which was a museum like display of unique dessert designs from chefs like Michel Richard, Josh Short from Buzz Bakery and Heather Mackey from the Marriott. All the cakes were great, but there could only be one winner. Barton Farnsworth from Cake FX, who created a “Most Wanted” cake design which was inspired by the food bank’s Most Wanted Items list, took home the honors.

Other highlights of the evening were the “30 baskets for 30 years” displayed during the Silent Auction, which were created in honor of our 30^th Anniversary. BJ Jennings, professional auctioneer, also brought a lively touch to the event exciting guests to bid, bid and bid some more! We raised over $50,000 on the Silent and Live auction!

This year’s Blue Jeans Ball was definitely our most successful event – breaking records with an income of $217,000. Guests came in their favorite jeans, sampled delicious foods while supporting the Capital Area Food Bank. It was a memorable night for sure!

Blue Jeans Ball – 2 Days Away

Kasandra Gunter Robinson — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:14:48 +0000

This year you can follow what’s going on at the Blue Jeans Ball via Twitter by searching for the hashtag #bluejeansball. Our friends at iStrategyLabs will be using 12seconds.tv to grab quick insights from attendees about how an event like the Blue Jeans Ball impacts the issue of hunger. These insights will be automatically tweeted out using the #blujeansball hashtag on the Capital Area Food Banks twitter account @foodbankmetrodc.

Feel free to provide your own insights via twitter, but be sure to add #bluejeansball to your tweet so we can find it. You can also get involved by sharing some twitter love with us by retweeting our videos and letting us know which ones you like the best and why. If we don’t see you at the Blue Jeans Ball, we’ll be looking out for you on twitter!

Eat.Drink.Dance…Change Lives

Jana Robinson — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:02:00 +0000

Chances are if you have been in the D.C. area for a while, then you’ve probably attended at least one black tie affair. But have you ever been to a ball where you can throw on your favorite pair of jeans and still get the experience of a formal event? Whether it’s your Seven’s or your Levi’s, the Capital Area Food Bank’s Blue Jeans Ball provides the opportunity to wear jeans, eat delicious food from the areas top restaurants and support a great cause at the same time.

This year, we have the support of talented chef co-chairs Michel Richard, Peter Smith, Christopher Willis, David Guas and 30 additional restaurants who will serve up their signature dishes at the Marriott Wardman Park. In a span of three hours you can experience some of D.C.’s favorite restaurants without traveling far. B Smith’s, Occidental Grill & Seafood, Jackson 20, Eatonville, PS 7’s, Black’s Bar & Kitchen, Bezu, Farmers & Fishers along with many other restaurants will be involved.

We are trying something new this year – not only are we highlighting delicious foods, but we are inviting pastry chefs to create food themed cakes commemorating our 30^th Anniversary. I can’t wait to see the unique and creative designs the chefs cook up! Guests will also be able to vote on their favorite cake and then sample it later. Some of the chefs coming up with sweet creations are Michel Richard, Josh Short, David Guas, among others.

This is the CAFB’s 7^th Blue Jeans Ball and my 4^th year leading the charge as the Special Events Manager; and it has been exciting to see how it’s grown. I believe that people keep coming back because they are experiencing something different than what the other galas offer. Guests can relax, eat delicious food, bid on unique live and silent auction items, and most importantly, support a great cause – the issue of hunger. You can’t beat that!

No need to think about it any further, join us on Sunday, March 28^th at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel! Click here to get your reservation now. Hope to see you there…making a statement in your jeans!