This was not your typical gala for a good cause. Geauga Growth Partnership pulled out all the stops when it came to delivering a good time that featured Geauga County people, products and produce. And, Mother Nature came through with perfect weather.
There was no lack of entertainment for the 250 party guests for this indoor / outdoor affair that began the evening in an outdoor market area, where guests socialized to the tune of One Dollar Hat string band from Burton while having caricature sketches done by artists from Kaman’s Art Shoppes (Bainbridge). Guests were also browsing market vendor booths and tasting appetizers featuring Patterson’s Fruit Farm apples and cider, Great Lakes Cheese Adams Reserve Cheddar, and Rothenbuhler Middlefield Swiss cheeses. All appetizers were prepared by top chefs from the Cleveland area.
Home-grown Chef Kimberly McCune Gibson was the top chef of the evening. She and her team from Hungry Bee Catering served up appetizers of pulled pork sliders made with the Geauga County Junior Fair Reserve Champion hog that Ms. McCune Gibson purchased at the 2015 Great Geauga County Fair.
For dinner, Gibson served a full buffet including: a Plated Salad of Sirna’s tomatoes, creamed mozzarella, garden basil, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic pearls and crostini; Baking Powder Biscuits with Whipped Honey Butter; Grandma’s Cucumbers; Pan Roasted Shortribs; Geauga County Turkey with roasted apples; Pasta Cavatappi with local sweet corn, forest fungi mushrooms, fresh herb aglio and parmesan; Local Green Beans with red chili and shaved garlic; Country Red Skin Mashers; and Desserts featuring a Showpiece “Homegrown Cake,” Mini Fry Pies, and Assorted Bar Cookies. Yummm.
The cake alone was a masterpiece! Sculpted to look like baskets of fruits, vegetables, cheese and honey, it was a big reveal to discover it was, in fact, a CAKE.
In the Ballroom, Fox 8 News reporter Kristi Capel lit up the stage as guest Emcee for the event and the party continued with the smooth sounds of No Moss playing tunes from the over the decades. Party-goers continued the fun by getting photos done against a greenscreen, where they could choose from a selection of Geauga scenes as their background.
And, for the first time in the Cleveland market, HomeGrown guests were treated to a “fair and honest appraisal of your appearance” by the home-grown, but internationally known Jill Bumby of The Bumbys (a Brooklyn-based, anonymous performance art duo). Folks lined up throughout the evening at Jill’s table for their assessments, then giggled amongst themselves when they walked away with their keepsake index cards.
For those who had never seen a 3-D printer in action, Entrepreneurs from Fila-Mint provided a demonstration of the 3D print technology for party-goers to watch. A replica of the Geauga County courthouse was printed to give to the high bidder in the auction for the Frank Samuel Workforce Development Endowment Fund.
Because HomeGrown Geauga wasn’t just about the party, of course, all the revelry and a live auctions were done in celebration of GGP’s five years and to raise funds for continued operations.
Funds raised from the live auction will continue to build the Career Awareness programs for eighth graders, and the Career Readiness and Internship programs for high school students as the programs expand into more schools. Additionally, GGP launched of the Frank Samuel Workforce Development Endowment Fund at the event, and auctioned for seed money to open that endowment, which will position Geauga Growth to sustain programs that support Geauga businesses long into the future.
Geauga Growth Partnership would like to thank all sponsors who helped to make HomeGrown Geauga possible: Great Lakes Cheese, Hungry Bee Catering, Rothenbuhler Cheesemakers, Inc., University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center, Kinetico, Patterson Farms, Richard & Christie Frenchie, Chris & John Steigerwald and Bechem Lubrication Technology, Arms Trucking, Geauga County Farm Bureau, Middlefield Banking Company, Sheoga Hardwood Flooring, Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan, Universal Disposal, Inc., Caritas Financial, Exscape Designs, Glenmede Investment & Wealth Management, FirstMerit Bank, Kent State University at Geauga, Newbury Business Park, POV Communications, Company 119, Drs. Patra & Vichai Duangjak, Electrolock, Inc., HD Davis CPAs, LLC, Tracy Jemison, Owen & Associates, Representative John Patterson, Blake Rear, John & Virginia Wilhelm and The Wealthcare Group of Raymond James.
