Mila Bridger (2016Milabridger.com)
4Q5A1047
Ever since chef Brian Roland burst onto the Southwest Florida culinary scene with his high-end catering company, Crave Culinaire, the one constant—something he could be relied on for outside of molecular gastronomic canapés like deconstructed gazpacho—has been a never-ending fount of generosity to local causes and nonprofit organizations. Need an auction prize? Crave Culinare to the rescue. Scrambling to fill tents for a food fair? Crave can help. Want a partner to host a fundraiser? Roland’s elegant Venue Naples event space (which also houses his catering kitchen) swoops in for the save.
Now, Roland and his wife and business partner, Nicole Roland, are taking it one step further. They have launched Crave for a Cause—a series of dinners they’ll host at Venue Naples where each will have a local nonprofit partner—with the intention of donating a chunk of the proceeds to the organizations. These multi-course fanfares will take place in addition to the more casual pop-ups and cooking classes the couple hosts throughout the summer months and may likely include guest speakers and representatives from the organizations. They’re aiming to put on at least one every few weeks. The first Crave for a Cause gathering will be a plant-based three-course dinner to benefit the American Heart Association on May 8 at 6 p.m., with tickets at $150 per person.
Chef Brian told Gulfshore Life he doesn’t have a set fundraising goal, but if there’s enough interest to host dinners on a consistent basis throughout the year, he’d love to raise about $100,000 annually. He says: “It gives us so much joy to give back though food and service, so we wanted to offer to do something we are good at to help support some of these organizations.”