Walden Center & School

11th Annual Gala, Benefit for Walden Center & School

A Letter from Shawn Burke

Buy Tickets Here

Menu

The food theme will center mostly on "soul food" with a Caribbean influence and consist largely of finger food/appetizer type food items.
menu subject to change.

MEAT

coconut & coffee roasted pork spare ribs

blackened flank steak with green garlic relish

jerk chicken skewers with bacon gravy

warm spice pork pate with Creole mustard

FISH

Breaded & roasted oysters with spicy tartar sauce

mackerel escabeche (pan fried and marinated)

Ceviche with kiwi & Jicama

coconut fried catfish with curried mango "ketchup"

VEGETARIAN

Chili & lime braised collard greens

sweet potato biscuits with maple-cayenne butter

buttermilk potato & gruyere croquettes

grilled asparagus with agave-mustard dressing

fried plantain with cilantro chutney

Orzo & cheddar fritters

DESSERT

Coconut-pecan bars

Banana bread pudding with rum-vanilla custard sauce

Strawberries & bourbon whipped cream

January 5, 2010

Dear Walden Families,

The 11th Annual Benefit Gala for Walden will be held Saturday, February 6th, 2010 from 7-11pm at the Gaia Arts Center in downtown Berkeley! Not only is this event one of our main fundraisers, it is most importantly, a community event aimed at celebrating the spirit of Walden's past, present and future.

Here are a few highlights:

• A sumptuous spread of hors doeuvres and desserts with a "soul food" theme. From coconut & coffee roasted pork spareribs to chili and lime braised collard greens Chef Omri Aronow has a feast planned for the Walden community!
• A delectable selection of wines from the Beherens Family Winery in St. Helena.
• A full bar and Gourmet non-alcoholic beverages.
• Auction, featuring wine and assorted goods and services donated by community members and local businesses.
• A night of soul music and dancing with DJ Bobito spinning the tunes and getting EVERYONE out on the dance floor!
• A grown-up night out with some of the best people on the planet!

Tickets are $50.00 in advance and $60.00 at the door. All proceeds from this event go to our scholarship fund. Enclosed are two tickets for each household. We are asking each family to buy these tickets, sell them to friends or turn them back in with payment in order to sponsor a Walden community member who may not be able to afford to attend otherwise. Please turn in all checks or unused tickets to Walden by Friday, January 22, so we will have an accurate count of attendees. Checks should be made payable to the Walden Foundation- please turn in all checks to the tuition box in the office and please write GALA TICKETS on the memo line. If the ticket cost is a hardship for any Walden parent, sliding scale payments or sponsored tickets can be arranged by contacting Shawn Burke at shawnburkemakeup@gmail.com or contact any Walden Foundation Member. The deadline for scholarship tickets is January 15th.

Tickets can also be purchased online using your credit card. (Click Here to Buy) In addition to this mailing, you will receive an e-mail invitation to the 11th Annual Gala with a link to purchase tickets using your credit card. You can use this link to purchase your two tickets and as many additional tickets as you wish until we sell out. Parent Volunteers will also be selling tickets before and after school on Thursdays and Fridays beginning the 14th. Please pass this invitation along to family and friends, with your own personal message about the value of supporting Walden. Anyone can buy their tickets online. Online tickets (beyond the two you are receiving today) will be held at the door.

I hope you will join us on Saturday evening, February 6th. We are looking forward to another fun and successful event.

Sincerely,

Shawn Burke
11th Annual Benefit Gala Coordinator
Mom of Oscar, Upper Group and Coleman, Walden Graduate 2008