Dining for Charity–The Bistro

Written by Tracie Grimes

The Lunch Bunch, made up of prominent and charitable Bakersfield women, is all about philanthropy. Each lunch, we invite the director of a local nonprofit to join us in hopes of finding out about upcoming fund-raisers, wish lists, and future goals that the Lunch Bunch can help with. Of course, the best way we can help is by spreading the word on these worthy causes. This issue, we were thrilled to welcome Pam Fiorini, the executive director of Golden Empire Gleaners to join us for a lovely lunch at The Bistro.

Community Organization Spotlight: The Golden Empire Gleaners

Pam was delighted to share the “goings-on” of a local organization that’s become particularly important to our community during these hard economic times.

“Our monthly service totals have jumped from about 15,000 to 20,000 since January, which means we’re serving about 5,000 more people a month,” Pam noted, adding that this massive distribution effort is done with only two employees on the payroll.

“We always welcome community volunteers for fund-raising, office and warehouse work, drivers, cooks,” Pam said.

One of the Gleaners biggest fund-raisers, A Night with the USO, is coming up in November, and plans are well underway.

“This event is held in our warehouse, which we transform into a vintage USO ‘night club’ complete with dinner, dancing, oral and silent auctions, museum displays, and authentic service vehicles,” Pam explained, adding that they expect to raise $60,000 through this event.

And though they could always use help with the USO event and distribution, Pam mentioned other ways community members can support The Golden Empire Gleaners.

“Our wish list includes completing renovations to our facility such as a new roof for our warehouse, paving work in our yard, concrete replacements for a section of the warehouse floor, concrete floor repair and finish in our office building, window replacement for our office building, and basic items like copy paper and plastic tableware. Of course we’d welcome any general support donations that will help us come in on budget during this tough year,” Pam said.

After the lunch, Pam shared her thoughts with me. “I was so grateful to be able to share more information about what we do at The Gleaners with women who have a heart for people and for helping in our community. I enjoyed the wealth of experience and insights from all the ladies. Each was so gracious to me. Meeting Judi McCarthy from the Kern Community Foundation which manages The Gleaners endowment fund and talking with former director of The Gleaners, Sue Benham, were enriching networking opportunities. I really appreciated the thoughtful questions and suggestions from a great group of ladies.”

The Restaurant

The Bistro at the Sheraton has long been one of Bakersfield’s most distinctive restaurants, yet those of us walking into the upscale eatery for the first time in a while, felt like we were walking into a new place since we hadn’t dined there since the extensive remodel.

The transformation was a sight to behold; rich wood paneling in the Vineyard Room, soothing green walls, soft lighting, beautiful artwork, and funky, modern-with-a-retro-flair carpeting. The perfect setting for anything from a business merger, stylish birthday celebration, or even a romantic dinner for two.

“I’d put The Bistro in the category of the ‘occasional’ restaurant for those who are looking for a four-star dining experience,” says manager Danny Williams.

In the kitchen, chef Michael Kelly freshens up the California contemporary cuisine menu choices by preparing daily lunch and dinner specials such as Tequila Salmon and Ahi Tuna with Pineapple Chutney.

The Food

Upon recommendation from our wonderful waitress, Erin, Pat and I both ordered the Ahi Tuna Salad.

Although it was a bit spicy for my taste, Pat noted, “Who could guess that food could be so pretty? If you like spicy you would love it! I don’t like spicy but I still thought it was very good.”

“I had the Chile-Glazed Salmon Salad,” Judi said. “The flavors were very good—a nice combination of sweet, spicy, and salty. I love this salad...”

Ann, who also had the Chile-Glazed Salmon Salad, described the dish as having “the perfect texture on a salad.”

Sue enjoyed the Moroccan Chicken Salad (“it’s one of my favorite salads in town”), proclaiming it “delicious!”

Pam said her Crispy Chicken Salad was “an ‘upscale’ entrée; a perfect blend of unexpected ingredients—comfort food (crispy chicken pieces) and varied fresh greens.”

We all enjoyed the Appetizer Menagerie. “The artichokes were phenomenal!” Pam said, adding she was glad I declined splitting one with her, wanting one all to herself. The artichokes had been battered and fried, but remained light and crisp—with a deliciously sweet aftertaste.

Our Special Guest:

Mary Christenson joined us at the table for this classy lunch. Mary, a prominent Realtor in our area, was gifted Lunch with the Lunch Bunch from a friend who knew what a fan Mary was of our charitable group. We were delighted to have her as she is a philanthropist herself, and always looks for ways to get involved in charities in our area.

What the Lunch Bunch Ladies are up to:

Robin: Robin was unable to join our group at The Bistro as she was in Temecula supporting son Riley who was playing in a golf tournament (and is off to Cornell in the fall), but wanted to mention a relatively new charity she’s been working with. “I’ve been asked to sit on the board of ‘Smile for a Lifetime,’ an effort to build self esteem and change the lives of deserving students. The charity is led by local orthodontist Dr. Donald Montano who works to identify high-achieving local high school students in need of braces or dental work but can’t afford it. Dr. Montano, in cooperation with other local physicians, provides the service for free.”

Judi: In August, the Women’s & Girls’ Fund of Kern County will release a “Report on the Status of Women and Girls in Kern County,” produced in partnership Dr. Janet Armentor-Cota, Assistant Professor of Sociology at CSUB, who conducted the research. “This document will help to guide our grant making and will be shared with local nonprofits and elected officials to alert all of the needs of women and girls in Kern County.” On September 24, the Kern Community Foundation will celebrate 10 years of service to Kern County, which includes approximately $3.5 million in grants since 1999.

”Our newly remodeled facility is now called Bakersfield Jet Center by Loyd’s Aviation and we are the only full-service, fixed-base operator at Meadow’s Field. We are getting great reviews on the new facility, its location, and the exceptional service we provide.

We are enjoying all the planning for our daughter Kelly’s wedding. Ann [Hansen] and I introduced her cousin, Aaron Pieczonka, to my daughter and we feel so blessed that our match-making worked.

The Alpha Canine Sanctuary is looking forward to the shade that will be provided by the 30 Mondale trees that were donated through BARC. Also, a recent fund raiser at the Red Brick Pizza brought in $4,500, and checks are still coming in.”

Sue: ”I’m looking forward to a trip to Seattle in July and especially to our annual family time at the beach, in Del Mar, in August. At Memorial, the Children’s Medical Center Initiative is raising funds to expand pediatric services and to establish the only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in the Southern San Joaquin Valley.”

Ann: The date for the Kids On The Block Training has been set for Aug. 28th. The Ford Dimension and Dream Builders are all working hard this summer on their summer project. It will be exciting to see the finished product.

If you would like to find out more information about Golden Empire Gleaners, visit their website at goldenempiregleaners.com or call (661) 324-2767. Or, to learn more about the charities our Lunch Bunch supports, please call (661) 834-4126 or visit bakersfieldmagazine.net.

Article appeared in our 26-3 Issue - August 2009