Renowned Chef to Headline Legacy Gala Events on March 29, 31
February 10, 2012
For more information contact:
Milton L. Dare, FACHE, Director of Development
(830) 258-7421
KERRVILLE - Peterson Regional Medical Center (PRMC) Foundation has announced plans for its 2012 signature event -- a Celebrity Chef Cooking School and The Legacy Gala scheduled for March 29 & 31, 2012, respectively.
Culinary legend and nationally recognized “Iron Chef America” champion Kent Rathbun will be the HEADLINE CHEF for both Legacy Gala Events! After rapidly rising through the ranks of some of the world’s finest restaurants, Chef Rathbun has developed five successful restaurant concepts in Dallas, The Woodlands, Plano and Austin, Texas.
The Legacy Gala event(s) will be held for the first time at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport at Louis Schreiner Field. Kerrville Aviation will be providing the large Jet Hangar for the events which will allow more community supporters to attend this year.
Joe Kennedy, Owner-Operator, of Kerrville Aviation, commented, “We are very pleased at Kerrville Aviation to be hosting the events this year because health care is so important to our community and is a critical driver of our local and regional economy. This is true not only for our family and friends who live here full time, but also to the many new friends that have chosen to invest in our community for the future and enjoy the Hill Country on weekends.”
Chef Rathbun will host a Cooking School at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 29. Cooking School tickets are $150 for a reserved seat and $100 for a general admission ticket. With attendance limited to the first 300 guests, the school is expected to sell out quickly.
The multi-course, Legacy Gala dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31. Major sponsorship opportunities for The Legacy Gala are available ($2,500, $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 and $25,000), which include premium seating at reserved tables and more. Individual Legacy Gala tickets prices begin at $150.
Entertainment and dancing for Legacy Gala supporters will feature the incomparable sounds of The Nash Hernandez Orchestra from Austin. The group was a big hit when they were here in Kerrville four years ago to help Peterson Regional Medical Center celebrate the opening of the new facility and the success of the Family, Friends & Neighbors Campaign. The music never stops at the Legacy Gala, and late-night revelers will also enjoy the timeless classics of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, thanks to Kerrville’s own Men in Black.
Past signature events hosted by the Peterson Regional Medical Center Foundation have raised over $450,000 to support the growth and development of palliative care, women’s services, rehabilitation services, the new Peterson Regional Medical Center facility and the Peterson Regional Ambulatory Center (ACC), providing outpatient imaging services, rehabilitation services and surgical services to those throughout the Hill Country.
Funds from this year’s event will be focused on health care education and scholarship needs for current and future caregivers. Pat Murray, CEO of PRMC, commented, “Healthcare is changing, and a well-educated workforce will be vital and critical to Peterson Regional Medical Center and to our community. Over 77%, or 730 of the 950 employees at PRMC, are involved in direct patient care. The importance of growing and educating our own caregivers and technical and support staff is absolutely essential for the future of the organization. Employees that grow up in our region and obtain education and financial support from our region tend to want to be employed here and take care of their friends and neighbors.”
More than 60 community leaders and volunteers are responsible for helping create this year’s signature event and organizing the festivities. Special thanks to the leadership of Honorary Chairpersons Dr. Shari Addington and Michael Borchers, DDS, Antoinette and Bill Childs, and Bill and Beulah Huggins, and to Cooking School chairs Robbie and Harold Crocker, and Rhonda and Ken Richter.
Chef Rathbun’s roots are firmly set in food, and at the age of 9, he discovered his passion for culinary creativity and began to live his life learning the skills and techniques needed to become the renowned and impressive chef that he is today. Preparation was something Rathbun came to value, and that sense of significance continued with him as he moved from kitchen to kitchen, working with some of the best chefs in the country.
Most notably, Rathbun has worked in the kitchens of Mr. B’s in New Orleans, American Restaurant and Milano in Kansas City, The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and the Landmark Restaurant in the Dallas Melrose Hotel. While at the Landmark, Rathbun had the opportunity to make annual trips to Bangkok, Thailand, which provided him the resources and research to create his own spectacular style of Contemporary Global cuisine. Drawing on Southwestern, Mediterranean, American, Cajun/Creole and Pacific Rim influences, Rathbun’s signature blend of flavors became the foundation of his Five-Star, Four-Diamond restaurant, Abacus.
For more information or to make Gala reservations, contact the PRMC Foundation office at (830) 258-7411, or visit the website, www.legacygala.org.
For more information on Kent Rathbun, please contact Adastra Public Relations at 214-641-9684, or visit Rathbun’s website at www.kentrathbun.com