Evergreen Health is pleased to announce that award-winning chefs Steve and Ellen Gedra have been named honorary co-chairs of the 2016 Dining Out For Life, presented by Key Bank and Evergreen Health, which will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The Gedras are co-owners of The Black Sheep Restaurant & Bar, a true farm-to-table dining experience located on Connecticut Street on Buffalo’s West Side.
The Gedras – executive chef Steve and owner/operator/baker Ellen – have participated in Dining Out For Life since they returned to Western New York in 2009 and took over Bistro Europa; they now operate The Black Sheep, which they opened in 2014. They are the single largest donors to date for Western New York’s 2016 Dining Out For Life event, donating 50 percent of each check, and including alcohol. As well, the Black Sheep’s pour staff is donating a portion of their tips to this year’s event.
“Ellen and I wholeheartedly believe in this cause, in this event,” says Steve Gedra. “Great strides have been made in HIV/AIDS treatment. If we can eradicate it completely – and we’re closer every day – then we need to help each other through important events such as Dining Out For Life. We believe in supporting the community that supports our business, and we’re thrilled to help in any way we can.”
If the Gedras’ names sound familiar, it’s because they were both recently invited to serve a “Tavern Supper” at Manhattan’s James Beard House on Oct. 8 in New York City.
Operated by the James Beard Foundation, the famed chef’s former townhouse is a culinary showcase that supports the foundation’s mission of celebrating American regional cuisine.
“Steve and Ellen have been true supporters of Dining Out For Life and Evergreen Health,” says Christopher Reybrouck, director of development at Evergreen Health. “We’re grateful they’re able to take the time from their busy schedule and successful restaurant to help promote Dining Out For Life, which is Evergreen’s largest annual fundraiser.”
This year, more than 90 restaurants in Erie, Niagara and Chautauqua counties will donate 25 percent (or more) of their proceeds on Oct. 11 as part of Western New York’s Dining Out For Life. All money raised stays local, supporting the work of Evergreen Health, a not-for-profit organization providing HIV/AIDS services since 1983.
Additional information about the event, as well as a full list of participating restaurants, is available online at www.DiningOutForLife.com/WNY.
