Your Diocese

Mark Downing, executive chef at Lombard’s Sequel Restaurant, displays his prowess in the kitchen. The 39-year-old member of Transfiguration Parish in Wauconda, Ill., was among other chefs who participated in a charity brunch to raise funds to help feed seniors.

Seafaring ruffians might have found the salmagundi served during a Nov. 4 charity event to be a bit more flavorsome than the meat salad normally dished out on their ships. Pirates are believed to have feasted upon the dish as they braved the turbulent seas in search of glory and treasure.

Mark Downing, executive chef at Sequel Restaurant in Lombard, created a gourmet version of the hearty concoction and served the unique blend of corned beef, anchovies, chicken and spinach nestled inside miniature quiche to those attending the pirate-themed brunch at Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace.

Nearly 30 accomplished chefs from eateries across the Chicago metropolitan area volunteered their time and talent during the 16th annual gathering in an effort to raise funds to help feed seniors residing in DuPage Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Kankakee, McHenry, Lake and Will counties. More than 550 people attended.

The 39-year-old husband and father of three, Downing, a member of Transfiguration Parish in Wauconda, Ill., who lives in nearby Lakemoor, talked about the charity brunch with the Catholic Explorer Nov. 16 at his Lombard restaurant.

Each chef prepared his or her specialty dish for the people attending the gala, according to Downing, chef chairperson. Hoping participants wouldn’t make him walk the plank, he decided to create a dish in keeping with the theme of the brunch, he said. “I wanted to try to be a little different and have some fun,” he asserted.

NBC 5’s morning meteorologist, Andy Avalos—a former restaurateur himself—served as emcee during the pre-Thanksgiving event.

About $84,000 was raised, according to Downing. As in previous years, the proceeds have been earmarked to offset the annual cost of the Holiday Meals on Wheels initiative sponsored by Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging.

The government-funded Meals on Wheels program provides senior residents in need with nutritious meals delivered to their doorsteps on weekdays. However, the program doesn’t offer meals on holidays and weekends, said Connie Kobitter, a spokesperson for Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging. “You wouldn’t say, ‘Thank God it’s Friday,’ if you wouldn’t eat again until Monday,” she told the Explorer in a telephone interview.

More than 24,000 seniors currently live below the poverty level in northeastern Illinois, according to Kobitter. The Holiday Meals on Wheels program, which is funded through donations, provided 24,209 meals in 2006, she said. “But, that only met 4 percent of the need,” she added, describing the need for more individual contributions as well as state and federal grants.

To qualify for the program, recipients must be over 80 years old with physical ailments that prevent them from preparing a meal, Kobitter said. Another factor is a lack of support from neighbors and family members. “It’s a supply and demand issue,” she said.

Downing mentioned his grandmother, Sally Fediuk, suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The chef’s family has been there over the years to help her. He said he “couldn’t imagine” others in his grandmother’s situation who don’t have the backing of their families. Holiday Meals on Wheels “helps bridge the gap between eating and not eating for a lot of people,” he added.

The cost of the brunch was $90 per person. Along with the meal, the event included silent and live auctions. Many of the chefs donated meals at their restaurants to be auctioned during the gathering, said Downing. “We tried to get every penny out of it that we could,” he said.

Involved in the event for seven consecutive years, Downing said, “It lifts my spirits.” The brunch allows him to use his gift for cooking to help others. “That’s the most important part.”

The annual brunch is the major fundraising vehicle for the Holiday Meals on Wheels program, said Kobitter. “It’s a wonderful collaboration.” Funds from the event and contributions from other donors throughout the year work to finance the approximately $95,000 budget of the program.

The money is allocated to senior service agencies in the eight counties served by Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging. These organizations are responsible for acquiring the meals and garnering the volunteer workforce to deliver them, said Kobitter.

Meanwhile, recipes from many of the chefs involved in the brunch have been included in a new cookbook. Sales of the cookbook are expected to work toward enhancing the Holiday Meals on Wheels program, said Kobitter.

For details about the Holiday Meals on Wheels program, call 630-293-5990.