Menu for Hope: Let the Bidding Begin

Finally. We're ready.

Let the bidding begin.

Food bloggers from the western half of the United States have been supremely generous with their time and talents. They donated in droves. I hope you have a few moments, because you're going to want to sit down and peruse these bid items for Menu for Hope.

There are some truly amazing offers here. For the sake of trying to remain unbiased, I have put them in order of the emails as they arrived. Whoever sent bid items descriptions and pictures to me first got the highest numbers! I am certain there is a photo workshop, a baking package, a set of books, or food sculpture that is right for someone in your life.

Remember, every $10 you donate to Menu for Hope gets you another chance to win, as well as more money for the UN World Food Purchase for Progress program.

Here are your directions for bidding:

1. Choose a bid item or bid items of your choice from our Menu for Hope main bid item list, when it's posted. (That will be up at Chez Pim.)

2. Go to the donation site at Firstgiving and make a donation.

3. Please specify which bid item you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per bid item, and please use the bid item code.

Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a bid item of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for UW01 and 3 tickets for UW33.

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

5. Please check the box to allow us to see your e-mail address so that we can contact you in case you win. Your e-mail address will not be shared with anyone.

Okay, there's more I could tell you, but that's the gist. You are raring to see the bid items in this raffle, aren't you?

Go!

UW01 Food Styling and Food Photography Workshop with Matt Armendariz
You're bidding on one Food Styling & Food Photography Workshop to be held in 2010. The class will be held at Matt Armendariz's studio in Long Beach, California, March 13 & 14. In this class you'll spend one day learning the ins and outs of food styling followed by a second day of hands-on photography with Matt. The workshops held thus far have been incredibly engaging, entertaining and packed full of practical information to help your food looks its best and ways to capture that beautiful image. Bring your camera and any questions you have!

This class is valued at $695.

The Fine Print: Winner is responsible for travel to Long Beach as well as accommodations. Lunch and class materials for you will be provided by Matt Armendariz. In lieu of class scheduling and winner's schedule a personal day of food styling instruction and food photography at the studio can be offered as an alternate. Same conditions apply.

UW02 Locavore Starter Kit



So many people tell us that they'd love to make the leap to eating local products, but they just don't know where to start. So we're making it simple with a Locavore Starter Kit: A trial membership to the Soul Food Farm chicken-and-egg CSA (or another CSA of your choice* if you live outside the Bay Area) and a farmer's market tour with breakfast and local treats.

Soul Food Farm and Married with Dinner are offering a $100 CSA credit toward the winner's choice of whole chickens, eggs, olive oil, and other farm-fresh goodies. Pick up your winnings all at once, or spread it over multiple pickups: It's up to you how to spend your CSA credit (subject to the usual order terms, naturally).

Plus, Soul Food Farm farmer Alexis Koefoed has offered a personal tour of Soul Food Farm for the prize winner and up to 3 guests at a mutually agreeable time in 2010.

We'll also include a personalized tour of the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, complete with breakfast or lunch for two, to help the winner find all the great foods they need to make the leap to la vida locavore.

And if that's not enough, we'll also bring along a bag full of local and homemade goodies for you to take home after your walk-around. The bag will include some of our own preserves, and an assortment of treats from local folks — including a bag of brown rice and a jar of almond butter from Massa Organics.

* A special note for non-Bay Area bidders: If the winner's residence is not located within 25 miles of a Soul Food Farm drop point, we'll pay the first month's box charges ($50 maximum) for any community supported agriculture program in the winner's area. And the market tour + breakfast portion of the prize is open to any winner, local or visitor, on any Saturday in 2010 (subject to Anita & Cameron's availability).

UW03 Coffee and Cake from Cucina Nicolina



This lovely package donated by Nicole at Cucina Nicolina includes:

- 1/2 lb. delicious, fresh-roasted Blue Bottle coffee beans
- a small cake/sweet bread or batch of cookies, depending on recipient preference (dietary needs? no problem!)
- a pretty new mug in which to enjoy the coffee

UWO4 Dinner for 2 at Manresa



This bid-item donated by Pim includes dinner for two people at Michelin 2-star restaurant Manresa, plus wine pairings, plus a tour of the restaurant's biodynamic garden at Love Apple Farm.

Gratuity is not included.

UWO5 Artisan Marmalade from Pim



This bid item offers a selection of six jars of Chez Pim’s artisan marmalade and jam, plus an autographed copy of Pim’s new book, The Foodie Handbook: The (Almost) Definitive Guide to Gastronomy.

UW06 Dinner for 2 at Coi in San Francisco



This bid item, donated by Pim, includes dinner for 2 people at Daniel Patterson's Michelin 2-star restaurant, Coi, in San Francisco.

Plus, the winner will also receive dinner for two at Daniel Patterson's more casual spot at the Ferry Plaza, Il Cane Rosso.

Beverages and gratuity are not included.

UW07 Four-Month Subscription to Citizen Bean



Citizen Bean offers 4-month subscription of their coffee-roasster of the month club that celebrates the best sustainable and complex roasts from small roasters all over the country. You'll also receive a Welcome Kit, with a 4-cup French Press, a timer, and other coffee essentials.

Shipping to U.S. only.

UW08 Emera Camera Bag

Get an Emera bag of your own - tote your favorite DSLR in style with Pim's favorite camera tote bag, the one and only Emera Bag!

UW10 Gift Certificate to Blurb to Make a Book from Your Blog




Donated by Faith Kramer at Blog Appetit, this $50 gift certificate allows you to make a book from your blog, through Blurb. Plus, if you wish, Faith will help you copy edit your new book.

UW11 Lowel Light Set for Food Photography




This Lowell Ego Two Light Set, donated by Kalyn's Kitchen, includes two stand lights with two bulbs in each light, bounce cards and backdrop. This will make your food photography much better, particularly in these long winter months.

This ships to US only.

UW12 BlogHer Conference Pass

This bid item, donated by BlogHer, is a free pass for admission to all conference sessions and events for the BlogHer Conference 2010 in New York.

(This does not include travel or hotel expenses, or meals other than those included with the conference. Men or women can attend BlogHer.)

UW13 The Ultimate Vanilla Package

Garrett at Vanilla Garlic has donated the ultimate vanilla prize package. Win 175 vanilla beans of 7 different varieties, plus ground vanilla, vanilla sugar, vanilla extract, 2 kinds of vanilla paste, and vanilla Fleur de Sel. This is enough vanilla to last you a lifetime, sponsored by Beanilla.

Shipping Restrictions: None

UW14 My Nepenthe and Big Sur Food Basket

Romney Steele has written a lovely memoir about her family's time at Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur. She has donated a copy of My Nepenthe: Bohemian Tales of Food, Family, and Big Sur, along with one 8oz jar of her apple pear butter and 1 pound of Kevah Granola, both recipes in the book and reminiscent of home. Nepenthe Restaurant has also donated a $100 gift certificate so you can come in to enjoy dinner.

UW15 Truffle Gift Set

Denise and Laudalino, the couple who run Chez Us, have donated this truffle package.

The gift set includes 3 40-ml bottles of truffle honey, truffle balsamic vinegar, and truffle oil.

Ships to anywhere in the US.

UW 16 Photo Session with Valentina Vitols

Valentina Vitols is offering a two-hour long photo tour or Pike Place Market OR a two-hour in-studio photo session. The winner gets to choose.

And she is throwing in five 4 x 6 professional-quality prints.

You must be able to be in Seattle to win this bid item.

UW 17 Basket of Artisanal Foods from Foodzie.com

Elise from Simply Recipes has donated this humungous assortment of artisanal foods from Foodzie.com (think Etsy for food), including Charles chocolates, Sweet Revolution caramel spread, Hawaiian honey, red onion confit, green tomato relish, Ethiopian coffee, and red currant jam.

This has over a $200 value.

Shipping to the US only.

UW18 Two-Day Artisan Baking Class

Susan from Wild Yeast has donated a 2-day artisan baking class (or 40% off a 5-day class) at the San Francisco Baking Institute.

Choose from a variety of bread and pastry workshops.

You must be able to be in San Francisco to claim this bid item.

UW 19 Advanced Bread and Pastry

Susan from Wild Yeast has also donated a signed copy of Advanced Bread and Pastry by Michel Suas, the founder of the San Francisco Baking Institute.

Shipping to the US only.

UW20 Winnie the Pooh Goes Bananas in a Box

Pack adorable lunches with unusual Winnie the Pooh food shaping tools and a banana-themed "Putifresh" bento set. The yellow bento set includes a watertight bento box, two matching bags, chopsticks, elastic bento belt and a Zespri "spife" (spoon/knife combo) for packing whole kiwifruit. The tools include a boiled egg shaper, sandwich cutter, onigiri rice ball shaper, vegetable cutter, pancake ring and silicone food cups, all shaped like Winnie the Pooh.

This bid item has been donated by Biggie at Lunch in a Box.

UW21 Top Chef/Iron Chef Package

Season your way to good taste with Diamond Crystal® kosher, coarse and fine sea salt and put to use that iconic salt cellar you've seen Alton Brown using on Good Eats. Use a $25 CHEFS gift certificate to purchase anything else you might need, then cook like the chefs with signed copies of Michael Symon's Live to Cook and Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook (signed by chefs Jen Biesty, Jamie Lauren and Ryan Scott ). You'll also get a copy of Good Eats: The Early Years, Top Chef: The Cookbook and Top Chef Quickfire Challenge Game to keep you busy until next season.

This package has been donated by Amy Sherman at Cooking with Amy.

UW22 Signed Copies of Ad Hoc and Fat of the Land

Jeanne at Four Chickens has donated signed copies of Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home + Langdon Cook's Fat of the Land.

This ships to the US only.

UW23 Original Photograph by Jen Yu

Jen Yu, the amazing photographer who writes Use Real Butter, has donated one of her original photographs.

The winner has the choice of one 12x18-inch original photograph by Jen Yu, matted to 18x24 inches, with black or white matboard.

This ships anywhere.

UW 24 $100 gift certificate to Culinary School of the Rockies

Jen Yu of Use Real Butter has also donated a $100 gift certificate to The Culinary School of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado. They offer professional programs and home cook classes throughout the year. Discover what's fresh. Discover CSR!

You must be in Boulder, Colorado to redeem this gift certificate.

UW 25 $100 Gift Certificate to SALT in Boulder, Colorado

Jen Yu of Use Real Butter has also donated a $100 gift certificate to SALT the Bistro on Pearl Street in beautiful downtown Boulder, Colorado. Recently featured in the Wall Street Journal, Bradford Heap's SALT serves up local and organic food. SALT: civilizing taste for over 6,000 years.

You must be in Boulder, Colorado to redeem this gift certificate.

UW26 Brownies Essentials

Patricia Sharpley of Brownies for Dinner has donated this package. It includes a few of the essentials for you to make the perfect brownie: a box of Valhrona Dutch process cocoa powder, a bar of Scharfenberger 70% cocoa bittersweet chocolate, a Chicago Metallic Professional 9x9 square brownie and cake pan, and The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz which has in it the single best brownie recipe I’ve tried.

UW27 Dinner for 2 at Ad Hoc, Plus a Signed Cookbook

This package, donated by Arnold Gatilao of Inuyaki, means a dinner for 2 at Ad Hoc, as well as a signed copy of the Thomas Keller cookbook. (Beverages, tax, and gratuity are not included.)

You must be in Napa, California to redeem this bid item.

UW28 Ad Hoc Cookbook, signed by Thomas Keller and Chef de Cuisine Dave Cruz

This bid item, donated by Arnold Gatilao of Inuyaki, is a copy of Ad Hoc at Home, signed by both Thomas Keller and Chef de Cuisine Dave Cruz.

UW29 Signed Copy of Under Pressure, by Thomas Keller

This bid item, donated by Arnold Gatilao of Inuyaki, is a copy of Under Pressure, signed by Thomas Keller.

UW30 Signed Copy of Momofuku

This bid item, donated by Arnold Gatilao of Inuyaki, is a copy of Momofuku, signed by David Chang and Peter Meehan.

UW31 Bacon and Cocktails: A Cakespy Print

The lovely Jessie Oleson, from Cakespy, has donated this 11x14 original watercolor / pen and ink drawing, which will come in an 11x14 black frame. It's entitled Bacon and Cupcakes Enjoying Cocktails, and it is ready to hang.

This would generally retail for $85.

UW32 Time to Shoot the Doughnuts

You have your choice in this bid item donated by Lara Ferroni of Cook and Eat.

Bid on a personal day of food photography & styling workshop in Lara's studio. We will tackle food styling, camera and light settings and spend the afternoon practicing! The winner is responsible for travel and lodging to Seattle, WA. Doughnuts, lunch and equipment will be provided.

OR The winner can choose a personalized doughnut kit, including a recipe of the winner's choice from Doughnuts before it is published, a doughnut cutter and mini doughnut baking sheet, the dry ingredients for the doughnut recipe of the winner's choice, and a signed copy of Doughnuts once it is released.

UW33 Fra' Mani Salumi Package

Ore Dagan of PotentialGold.com is offering an assortment of delicious Fra' Mani Salumi hand chosen by Paul Bertolli. Included will be a Fra' Mani 'Little Ham'; a Fra' Mani Pancetta; an extra-large Salame Gentile named 'Gentile Gigante' as well as some other items hand chosen at the time of delivery.

Shipping of these 12+ pounds of Salumi is included within the continental US (no PO Boxes).

UW34 La Quercia Spallacia (prosciutto-style leg)

Hobson of Hobson's Choice is offering a 7.75 lb. spallacia (prosciutto-esque front leg), salted and cured by the talented folks at La Quercia. It has been aged for one year and is now ready to eat and eat and eat. I It is is almost impossible to buy slices retail as there are only 100 or so Acorn Edition spallacias in the world. Here, the winner gets the whole leg, with instructions on how to store, slice and serve it.

Shipping is limited to those with US addresses.

UW 35 Food-Inspired Wire Sculpture

Brooke Burton of Food Woolf is donating a food-inspired wire sculpture to Menu For Hope.

"I've been commissioned in the past to sculpt fish, violins, bikes, and now--cattle and bigs. I am attaching copies of some food sculptures I've done in the past week. I think it would be fun to have the bidder give me a genre and I'll create something just for them."

Ships to within the US.

UW 36 Signed Copy of The Butcher and the Vegetarian, Plus Artisanal Food

This bid item from Tea at Tea and Cookies includes a signed early copy of her forthcoming book, The Butcher and The Vegetarian: One Woman's Romp Through a World of Men, Meat, and Moral Crisis. You'll be getting an advance copy, as the book isn't published until February, along with a collection of favorite artisanal food items picked by Tea (can be made vegetarian or meaty, on request). This will include local treats from Seattle and San Francisco, as well as her own homemade quince jam.

Ships to the US.

UW 37 Consulting time with Dianne Jacob, Writing Coach

Dianne Jacob, author of Will Write for Food, is donating two hours of consulting time, plus a copy of her book. If you would benefit from coaching on writing a cookbook, travel book, food memoir; starting a food blog; improving your blog; writing freelance articles; or you'd like feedback on your writing, please bid on this prize.

UW 38 Copy of Not Becoming My Mother, plus a Microplane Zester

Nurit of 1 Family. Friendly. Food has donated a package which includes a copy of the book Not Becoming My Mother by Ruth Reichl and a beautiful, green- lime colored Microplane Classic Series Premium Zester.

Dealing with Mother issues with a zester in hand? Well… zesting can be a great way to let out some of those repressed emotions. Or, you can start a book club after reading the book, then go to the kitchen and use your beautiful green zester to cook something fabulous for your newly found book club of people who are trying to resolve their mother issues.

The shipping of this bid item is limited to the US only.

UW39 Panini Presses

Kathy of Panini Happy and Breville USA have donated 6 panini presses to Menu for Hope. This means there are more chances for you to win.

The Breville Panini Duo Press provides a quick and easy way to make panini right on your countertop. It features a brushed stainless-steel exterior, ridged nonstick grill plates and an adjustable-height top plate. A floating hinge allows you to grill sandwiches of different thickness at the same time. Valued at US$69.95.

These ship to the US only.

UW40 An Afternoon of Foraging with Langdon Cook

Join author-forager Langdon Cook for a morning or afternoon of seeking out the Pacific Northwest's wild bounty. Perhaps you'll bushwhack through deep forests in search of edible mushrooms...or dig clams on the coast...or even scale mountains to pick sweet huckleberries. The choice is yours. Just bring a sense of adventure--the forager will take care of the rest.

UW41 Gluten-Free Goodness from The Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef

Danny and I are compiling a basket of goodies designed to make you happier in the kitchen: three of our favorite cookbooks from the last year; a necessary ingredient from each book; one of our favorite kitchen utensils; and a box full of fresh gluten-free baked goods.

Oh, and an autographed copy of our book, Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef, when it is published next fall.

UW 42 Sustainable Sushi Package

Allison from Sushi Day has donated a signed copy of Sustainable Sushi: A Guide to Saving the Oceans One Bite at a Time by Casson Trenor, and a $50 gift certificate to Mashiko Sushi Restaurant in Seattle, WA.

Mashiko is one of the few sushi restaurants in the United States who have recently dedicated their menus to being completely sustainable, and they do it wonderfully.

You must be in Seattle to redeem the gift certificate.

UW43 Photographs from Asia + Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Karen Coates of Rambling Spoon has donated this package of photographs and homemade treats.

Seven colorful prints, taken by Jerry Redfern, along our recent culinary journeys through Asia. These pictures, printed on 8 1/2 x 11 premium photo paper with archival inks, will take you to tea in India and Burma, and an onion market in Mandalay. They'll introduce you to a Mandalay man with his chicken; and they'll feed you momos in Darjeeling, a fish along the Mekong, and a glass of pomegranate juice in Kolkata.

Jerry's mother, Jenny Redfern, is offering six half-pint jars of her homemade Meyer lemon marmalade. No artificial sweeteners; only sugar, pectin and lemons straight from her backyard tree.

Finally, this is only one of many sites with bid items. You can also visit the following places to see more packages offered:

US: East Coast
Helen of Tartelette (mytartelette[at]gmail[dot]com)

Europe *and* the UK
David Lebovitz (david.lebovitz[at]yahoo[dot]com)

Canada
Tara of Seven Spoons (tara[at]sevenspoons[dot]net)

Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand
Ed Charles of Tomato (gastrotom[at]gmail[dot]com)

and, last but not least, our special Wine Blog Host
Alder of Vinography (alder[at]vinography[dot]com)

Event Co-ordinator
Chez Pim
(any further information about the event or questions about financing go here)

Whew! Those are a lot of possibilities, aren't they?

Don't be overwhelmed. Start bidding.

Now!