WINGS hosts food, wine, shopping fundraiser Friday
Fans of gourmet food, shopping and wine tasting can enjoy all three at the second annual WINGS Taste Takes Flight event Friday while also helping a good cause.
WINGS — Women In Need Growing Stronger — will host the culinary and shopping extravaganza from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday at the Meadows Club, 2905 W. Golf Road in Rolling Meadows. Tickets are $50 in advance or $60 the day of the event and can be purchased on the WINGS website.
More than 15 restaurants and caterers from the area are participating with on-site demonstrations and food samples. The International House of Wine and Cheese of Richmond, Ill. also will be on hand with nearly 30 wines for sampling and ordering.
A portion of the funds raised will go to Romeo’s Fund, which supports the WINGS Safe House that provides emergency shelter to women and children in need. WINGS also provides counseling and transitional housing to women and children who are victims of domestic violence in the Chicago suburbs, said Suzanne Poggio of WINGS.
Poggio said WINGS hopes to use the money raised to hire a 24/7 manager for the safe house so it will be able to take in more clients.
“Domestic violence reaches across all ethnicities, incomes and education levels,” she said. “It’s something we can all support and for $50 you get a lot for your money.”
In the last fiscal year more than 300 women stayed at the WINGS Safe House said, Nina Stephenson, co-chair of the event.
Organizers hope to exceed the more than $50,000 raised by the event last year.
In addition to the food sampling and wine tasting, boutique shopping will feature culinary and kitchen products, gourmet foods, home décor, jewelry and accessories. WINGS also will have a booth featuring designer clothes, shoes and accessories.
Copies of the soon to be released “The Mom 100 Cookbook” by Katie Workman will be available for purchase. Workman will be signing books and discussing ways to make food fun and easy for all family members along with offering samples from some of her recipes.
Participating restaurants/caterers include: Agio Italian Bistro of Palatine; The Baking Institute of Northbrook; Butera Market of Algonquin; Mago Grill & Cantina of Arlington Heights; Dave’s Specialty Foods of Mount Prospect; The Meadows Club; The Rosewood Restaurant & Banquets of Rosemont; as well as several Barrington restaurants including, Barrington Country Bistro, Chessie’s/111 Grill, Francesca’s Famiglia, L’Eiffel Bistrot & Creperie, McGonigal’s Pub, NEAR, Park Avenue Wine Bar, Starbucks and Wild Asparagus.