Harvest Dinner & Urban Farm Tour features seasonal homegrown produce prepared by local restaurants

Posted August 13, 2023 11:00 pm

Submitted by Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry

East Aurora High School culinary arts students volunteer to help set up, decorate, serve and clean up at a previous Harvest Dinner. Courtesy of Joshua T. Schultz, Greenlife Media Group

Seasonal fresh vegetables and herbs harvested from Marie's Pantry Garden will be featured at the annual Garden Harvest Dinner on Saturday, Aug. 19.

Local musicians are providing live entertainment throughout the evening's activities from 6 to 10 p.m. at Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry, 834 N. Highland Ave. in Aurora.

Tickets are available for $130 online at mwfoodpantry.org/harvest. Guests may also call Marie's Pantry office at (630) 897-5431 to reserve a seat and pay by check. Purchase tickets quickly as space is limited.

The gathering in Marie's Garden begins at 6 p.m. Guests will enjoy refreshments, hors d'oeuvres, and farm tours with Charity Blooms garden volunteers.

Hors d'oeuvres at the annual Garden Harvest Dinner on Saturday, Aug. 19 will include deviled eggs from Marie's Urban Farm Chickens. Courtesy of Joshua T. Schultz, Greenlife Media Group

Meet and great Marie's beautiful flock of egg laying hens and take a turn making hand-churned butter. Sample farm fresh deviled eggs and artisanal cocktails.

The five course dinner will be served at 7 p.m. "al fresco" under an elegant white canopy at sunset.

While dining, guests will learn about the upcoming building renovation at Marie's West Pantry on Highland Avenue, and hear about plans for expanding educational programs and community services.

Charity Blooms, a nonprofit partner, with founder Robert Vaughan, manages The Urban Farm on Highland Avenue. Courtesy of Joshua T. Schultz, Greenlife Media Group

Since 1957, Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry volunteers have provided weekly nutrition support for Aurora area households in need. Special programs are available for women, students, veterans, seniors and persons challenged with disabilities. Free cooking classes are open to the public. Learn more at mwfoodpantry.org

Marie's Pantry Garden at 835 N. Highland Ave. was developed in 2014 in partnership with Kane County Fit-for-Kids and Rebuilding Together Aurora. Nonprofit partner Charity Blooms works with volunteers to grow over 120 varieties of vegetables, perennial herbs, fruit trees and berry bushes. Marie's Urban Farm is home to the City of Aurora's premier flock of egg-laying hens.

Cooking classes in Marie's Garden Kitchen are free and open to the public. Anyone interested in learning to grow, prepare, and preserve food may attend class as a guest or volunteer to help host.

Classes are presented by Charity Blooms in partnership with local chefs and Marie's Pantry.

Chef Mike Bomberger of Livia Italian Eatery prepares the entree for the first Garden Harvest Dinner held by Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry in August 2019. Courtesy of Joshua T. Schultz, Greenlife Media Group

Marie's Pantry food scraps are fed to local chicken farmers and an on-site composting machine named "The IZZO." By diverting food waste from landfills, volunteers strive to meet zero-waste sustainability goals. Compost is created on-site daily, replenishing Marie's Pantry Garden soil to prepare for the next growing season.

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