Crab Cioppino Dinner

ALL YOU CAN EAT CIOPPINO

Such a Crabby Group!

Well, not really. Our first ever “all you can eat” crab cioppino fest was a huge success. We were all pretty nervous about taking this on, especially with such short notice, but our club has a habit of pulling together and getting things done, and doing it with class. And this was a classic example.

Fortunately we had Nicole McKay to organize everything, and Glenn Behm and Bill Morris to advise and guide us and to help track down the missing pots and reconnect with some key people. Not the least of those was Glenn’s son-in-law Tommy, who arrived early on Saturday and literally took charge of the kitchen as if it was his own private party. Tommy knew what to do and exactly how to do it, and I am convinced we could not have pulled it off without him. Of course, he had plenty of help, including a Friday crew (including Girdie, Al, George K., and Donna) to mince and slice the onion, celery, parsley, etc. and a second crew including Al, George K., Larry, Glenn Behm, Bill Morris, and Steve Dellinger, who worked tirelessly all day Saturday in the kitchen. It was an awesome performance!

Woodside Terrace A.M. Kiwanis Club presents its first every Crab Cioppino Feed carrying on a tradition established by the Sequoia Kiwanis Club. 

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American Legion Hall 651 El Camino Redwood City Saturday March 25th, 2006 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm cost $40 per person

Complimentary Wine With Dinner, No Host Bar, Raffle Prizes

$40.00 Per Person

All Proceeds benefit community programs and services including a college scholarship program, a computer reuse program that benefits local students, Special Games for special needs youth, Bike Rodeo/Safety Program, Annual Food & Toy Drive for local Charities, Sequoia High School Key Club, Senior Tea, Toiletries collection for women in transition, Relay for Life, Neighborhood Clean Up Days, Books for Raising a Reader program and much more!

TO ORDER TICKETS:

Tickets are sold on a First Come First Serve basis, limited to available seating. Once allotment has been sold, ticket orders cannot be honored. Sorry, no refunds for purchased tickets.

... “Such a Crabby Group” continued from above...

While the guys were busy in the kitchen, the ladies organized the decorations and setting up the main dining hall. Key Clubbers and other club members arrived to help with the decorations and also to serve the salads, rolls, etc. and sell raffle tickets. The Sequoia Club, who originated the cioppino fest and ran it for many years, was definitely a man’s club, so visitors who had frequented their event and then arrived for ours were pleasantly surprised to see the hall decorated with a Mardi Gras theme… very colorful, with gold and green and purple table coverings and balloons, masks, beads, flowers (donated by the Romano’s) etc., and they were awed by the placemats that Mike had designed.

Thanks to our generous club members and other supporters we had an incredible assortment of raffle prizes and silent auction items, and Carol Stewart made good use of her artistic flair to arrange them most attractively. Usually there are only one or two items that really catch my eye, but there wasn’t a prize out there that I wouldn’t be thrilled to receive. That was especially apparent with the silent auction, where many of the items were bid up over their stated value.

DJ’s Larry and Loretta (from “Let’s Talk Events”) New Orleans played New Orleans theme background music as the visitors arrived, then David Amann took over as Emcee, keeping up a lively pace throughout the evening. Linda Graves, wife of former Sequoia Club member Bob Graves, arrived with a friend to made and serve the salad, and Rob and Randy and Roy Souffront and others helped to dish out the cioppino. Almost every club member helped out in some way. There were so many people involved and everybody worked so hard that it is impossible to thank everybody individually, but you know who you are and we are most grateful for your help.
Preliminary indications are that we may have netted around $6000 for our one day event. It was a huge day, and many worked non stop from 9 AM through to 10:30 PM when we finally finished cleaning up the kitchen. Next year we can fine tune this. One recommendation is to have at least 3 kitchen shifts: (9 AM – 2 PM; 2 PM – 8 PM; and 8 PM – 10 PM for cleanup). But we can work on that. For now we can pat ourselves on the back and take a deep breath… only 4 more days until our next project… delivery of the computers and presentation at the school to the next batch of deserving (and grateful) students. Go Team!!

by Lynne Mercer

Thank you to all of our 2006 sponsors                 Sponsors are not endorsed by WTAM Kiwanis, but we sure do appreciate their support of our program!             Feeling lucky tonight? Chances are you.... may smile brighter with a bleaching from Dr. Glenn Lew or from Dr. Rashidi. Or will a diamond necklace from Mayer’s Jewelers help? No?  Then you may need an amethyst and pearl necklace from Carol Stewart. A night on the town might do  the trick—in Redwood City compliments of San Mateo Credit Union and Donna Vaillancourt, and in San Mateo compliments of John Anagnostou and Donna Vaillancourt. I bet you don’t have an autographed photo from Johnny Cash with a “Walk the Line” DVD from Linda Loy. You could win tuition for one month of services from Score! Educational Centers. Will you win the Lynne Mercer's Cat Lover Basket or would you prefer Lourdes Carini's Dog Lovers Basket?  Funny you should mention...tickets to the Punchline, compliments of Elizabeth Gheleta. You could win from Nicole McKay a Pampered Chef basket or certificates for Creative Memories and Trader Joe's.  Or is it time for your massage by Redwood Massage? Howabout a workout bag from David Amman and Edward Jones or a Gift certificate from City Pub, New Kapadokia, the Waterfront Restaurant or Max's? Chances are good you will win something from Lourdes Carini because she also gave a Coffee Basket,a Wine Tote, Wine, and a Bath Set with Robe. And there are good chances, too, to win from Lynne Mercer and Larry Graves who also contributed a Condiment Basket, a Story-Time Basket, and a Tour of Italy Basket. Entertaining at home?  You'll need the six piece table setting with plates, placements, napkins and glasses from Maureen Fish, EA. There is a wine tote and wine from San Mateo Credit Union, a wine basket from San Mateo Credit Union and Donna Vaillancourt, Wine Tasting for Four at Savvy Cellars, Take me out to the Ballgame with 2 pairs of Giants Tickets and Giants gear from Dominic Carini, Capital Mortgage Lending. For Total K Day or your home garden you could use the Garden Tools and Gloves Basket from Donna Vaillancourt.  Prefer the indoors? Then....Fox Theater Tickets from John Anagnostou or Dinner at Applebees. You'll look marvelous with a Hair Color Service by Jasmine Freeman and Renda Za'Arour Salon or Arbonne Skin Care Products Basket from Beth Yamada.  Complete the makeover with a Powerhouse Gym membership for 3 months. ...Or a bit of history with Gene Firpo's print of Old Downtown Redwood City. For coffee lovers there is a Starbucks Coffee Basket from Starbucks of Redwood Shores.  If coffee isn't enough, there is a Coffee and Biscotti Basket from Financial Title, or Chocolate and Coffee Basket from Donna Vaillancourt and Lourdes Carini. You may be the proud owner of one of two Flags from First American Title or howabout a Harry and David Discount Card or Max’s Gift Certificate from Harry Tong or perhaps a VCR Tape? You may win a See's certificate from Geri Mayers. Checkout the list at the front of the hall for more items and any updates or corrections! Crab Cioppino Dinner Thank you Glenn Behm and Nicole McKay for Chairing the Cioppino Committee, crab allergies or no crab allergies!  Thank you Donna Vaillancourt for managing the ticket sales, Mike Akana for printing the menu, Lourdes Carini for coordinating the auction and raffle, and Bill Morris for overseeing the cooks. Thank you, everyone—sponsors, committee members, volunteers, donors, and diners-for what is sure to be a magical evening. The Crab Cioppino Dinner has been become a community institution founded by the Sequoia Kiwanis Club of Redwood City. Although, the Sequoia Kiwanis Club recently disbanded, the club has had a lasting effect on the community.  Their commitment to community service and support of community projects will continue to be an inspiration to the residents of Redwood City and to the members of the Woodside Terrace A.M. Kiwanis Club.  Our club now includes the former Sequoia Club members Glenn Behm, William Morris and Steve Dellinger.  Their advice and hard work has been invaluable in planning and preparing for the Crab Cioppino dinner as well as in our other service projects and fundraisers. We hope that we can continue to carry on the tradition of the Crab Cioppino dinner in a manner that will do the Sequoia Club proud. About Cioppino The original recipe come via Al Diridoni, the beloved and now departed member of the Sequoia Club.  An excerpt of the Cioppino recipe is below: "Crab Cioppino means "fish stew", and the recipes and stuff that go into a good Cioppino are as varied as the fish in the ocean.  We don't try to improve on Mother Nature when it comes to fish.  We buy only fresh crab. Three days ago our crabs were roaming the ocean bottom of British Columbia.  About that same time the clams were raked off the bottom of the Atlantic coast." "The only way to blend sauce and fish is to pour it over the crab and bake it into the crab before it is served. All of the crab gets that good flavor. This process takes longer.  That's why you will sometimes have to wait to be served until the next batch comes hot out of the five ovens we have going. We think it's work the wait. We think this is the only way to do it, and that all of these elements make our Cioppino the best.  And because you keep coming back, we believe you agree."         >>Back to Current Cioppino Dinner<<