Record Breaking Year for the Gold Plate Dinner
June 11, 2010 - Twenty-five years is a charm
for the Annual Gold Plate
Dinner. Their silver anniversary this past Tuesday was their
most successful year ever, raising over $165,000 for the University of Ottawa Heart
Institute and the Hellenic Community of Ottawa's cultural and
religious programs.
Each year, the guests, organizers, and volunteers raise the bar
and this year, they raised it really high. The $165,000 plus raised
is double what they raised in 2009. Not only that, but the
organizers pulled out all the stops, upping the "wow factor" and
presenting guests with a whole new experience. A special thank you
and big kudos go out to Steve Ramphos, Erin Giakoumelos, and the
Gold Plate Dinner's very own man of magic, Steve Klein. Steve
Klein ran the show; working closely with Erin to ensure each detail
was flawless.
Guests were welcomed under large, white tents and offered
champagne while they registered. Once inside the main tent, they
stepped onto new flooring, listened to lively Greek music, took in
the bright lights, gold and blue balloon trees, and were treated to
a plethora of tasty hors d'oeuvres and customary libations from a
collection of Ottawa's favourite international restaurants,
including: The Hellenic Meeting & Reception Centre, Big
Daddy's, Emerald Catering, and Taste of Japan.
After plenty of sampling, guests were ushered into the Hellenic Meeting and Reception
Centre, where they took their seats at tables dressed to Gold
Plate standards, trimmed in gold and blue and absolutely beautiful.
Stuntman Stu kicked off the evening as only he can, and everyone
quickly settled in for an entertaining evening that featured the
much-loved and highly anticipated Elimination Draw, and the newly
added Live Auction. The meal was a sumptuous offering of surf and
turf featuring filet mignon and Alaskan king crab, with rum
chocolate mousse for dessert. Stuntman Stu capped off the evening
with a gift of his very own wine for each and every guest, which
won over the crowd and was the perfect way to end a memorable
evening.
Guests are already talking about next year, but for now, our
fearless leader is still recuperating from Tuesday. That's a lot of
running around for one evening. Thanks for hosting an amazing
night, Steve and Erin - perhaps we should have gotten you two a
nice box of Epsom salts…
