Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
The Iron Nugget's Janet DiGiorgio and Gary Pelkola serve up sesame-crusted tuna and cheese-stuffed gnocchi with Rustica sauce at the Taste of Gogebic Range fundraiser Monday at GCC. The dishes were the Iron Nugget's entries for the Gogebic Community College Foundation's annual fundraiser, earning the restaurant both the Tasters' Choice and Best of Show awards for the night.
By RICHARD JENKINS
Ironwood - A number of the Gogebic Range's best chefs, bakers and restauranteurs had a chance to show off their skills at the Gogebic Community College Foundation's Taste of the Gogebic Range event; all while raising money for a good cause.
The 200 people who purchased tickets to the evening had an opportunity to sample a variety of appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts from twelve local businesses.
"I'm hearing (it's) possibly the best year ever. Some great new dishes they're enjoying," GCC Foundation Director Kelly Marczak said. "I'm hearing all positive."
The annual fundraiser, now in its ninth year, raises money for GCC Foundation scholarships to help the cover the cost of attending GCC.
"The foundation raises money all year, but we have different projects, and so this event is specifically earmarked for scholarships," Marczak said.
All 200 tickets for the event were sold again this year, according to Marczak, with the proceeds going to the scholarships; along with whatever money was raised from the cash bar and various raffles during the event.
"We cap it at 200 (tickets) because of the size of the room and then the restaurants know what to prepare for," she said.
The participating businesses were competing for a variety of awards - including the Tasters' Choice award, determined by those attending the event; and the Best of Show award, which Marczak said was determined by a panel of special judges.
This year's event also featured awards for best appetizer, best salad, best beverage, best entree and best dessert.
While the complete results were unavailable at press time; the Iron Nugget took home both top honors, winning both the Tasters' Choice and Best of Show awards.
Along with vying for the various titles, the event allowed the competitors to show off their creativity and test new recipes; giving diners a treat.
"We've got some new restaurants joining us, restaurants offering new menu items they're testing out tonight," Marczak said.
She also thanked all the businesses who participated, or donated to the event, as well as the community for making the event a continued success.
The GCC Foundation was established in 1977 as a non-profit corporation and exists solely for the support and development of the college and its mission.
