THE JANICE McARDLE CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION HOSTS INAUGURAL EVENT AUG. 9
Author and celebrity chef Jenn Stoker will join other top chefs from Heaven on Seven, Rosebud, Sullivan's Steak House and White Eagle Golf Club to share their signature dishes along with specially paired wines. In addition to a silent auction with a variety of prize packages, a live cult wine auction will take place, featuring selections from Screaming Eagle, Bond, Colgin, Harlan Estate, Ovid, Shafer and Sloan.
"We wanted to do something unique this year, something that would stand out from the typical fundraiser," said Dr. George McArdle, who started the foundation after his wife, Jannie, lost her battle with non-smoking lung cancer in 2008. "My daughters work in Napa Valley, and we have connections with some of the restaurants here, so we decided to marry those connections."
The event is being held in lieu of the foundation's annual golf outing.
"This is a very special event," said event coordinator Judy Phillip of Extra Edge. "Each restaurant will offer small-plated meals along with a wine pairing from Spring Mountain Vineyard and other select Napa Valley wineries. For the live auction, we are bringing in some of the finest cult wines available."
According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined.
McArdle hopes to change that. To date, the Janice McArdle Cancer Research Foundation has raised more than $300,000 for non-smoking lung cancer research.
"It's personally important to me because my wife passed away from nonsmoking lung cancer," said McArdle, "but finding out while she had the disease, and certainly after, that lung cancer research is so terribly underfunded is the reason we are doing this."
Proceeds will fund innovative research to develop early detection methods and advanced treatment techniques, and ultimately find a cure for non-smoker related lung cancer.
Tickets are $125 per person. Black tie optional. Sponsorships are still available. For more information, visit www.jannieshope.org