‘Dish It Up!’ Downtown at the Junior League’s 7th Annual Chef Auction

Dish It Up on Facebook

The past six years have been a resounding success for the Junior League of Lincoln’s (JLL) annual Dish It Up event, and event organizers are expecting another great evening this year that will feature some of the top chefs around Lincoln, a live and silent auction, as well as great food and wine. The event will be held at the DelRay Ballroom in the Haymarket on Thursday, March 31, at 6:30pm and will benefit several projects the organization is involved in.

Aimee Lempke, fundraising co-chair along with Joni Smith, delves into some of the things that event goers can expect at Dish It Up 2011:

“Nine of the best chefs and restaurants in Lincoln not only prepare gourmet hors d’oeuvres and desserts, but also provide live auction packages that any good foodie would crave. The hors d’oeuvres and desserts are elegantly paired with a great wine provided by Lincoln’s Bin 105. If live auctions are not your thing, we will have plenty of items to bid on during our silent auction.” 

Junior League is a nonprofit that is dedicated to serving the community and empowering women to help them exceed their potential. JLL is one of 292 Junior Leagues across four different countries that strive to advocate voluntarism and to provide them with the resoluteness and integrity they need to make an impact on their community. They work regularly with other nonprofits and social service agencies to complete various projects that benefit the community. The annual event bolsters a great opportunity for JLL to let the Lincoln community know who they are and what they do.

The evening will benefit two primary projects JLL is working on: Kids in the Kitchen (in partnership with Hy-Vee) and the Job Outfitters program (in partnership with the YWCA of Lincoln). Kids in the Kitchen is a program designed to help combat childhood obesity by educating youth on how to live a healthy life by making the right eating and lifestyle choices. The Job Outfitters program helps women who are preparing for their careers by providing them free clothing, offering them tips on appropriate hair, clothing and makeup for interviews and encouraging them as they get ready to plan for their futures. 

Lempke, who is currently in her third year on the Dish It Up committee, said they are expecting about 200 people to come out for this year’s Dish It Up. Each year for the past three years, Dish It Up has garnered over $20,000 for the projects JLL works on.

The live and silent auctions have proved to be the buttresses of the event; the former will feature an ambrosial meal prepared by one of the best chefs in the community while the latter features a wide variety of donated items.

“For our Live Auction, each chef prepares a special evening of culinary delights for the highest bidder. The chef with the highest bid is awarded the Iron Chef Award! This is a great way to impress your family/friends with a delicious gourmet meal, or get a group of girlfriends or couples to go in on this dining experience together!” Lempke said.

The donated items featured in the live auction include a Husker cap autographed by Larry the Cable Guy, four tickets to the Nebraska vs. Fresno State football game, four tickets to Sound of Music at the Community Playhouse and a round of golf for four at Wilderness Ridge.

“All items are donated by our Junior League members or by generous Lincoln businesses. Check out the website for more info as the list will be updated regularly at http://www.jll.org.”

Several local businesses will be catering the event including Aura, Billy’s, Dish, thé Cup, Wilderness Ridge, JTK, Venue, and Parthenon. Wine is being provided by Bin 105 and coffee is being provided Bagels and Joe.

For ticket information, visit JLL’s website.