Showcase raises cash for SkillsUSA

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Michele Desilets wanted to give her husband a surprise gift for his upcoming birthday.

But David Desilets, a watch-maker at Coffrin Jewelers in Sarasota, has just about everything.

Finally, Michele came up with something for $100 that David didn’t have.

What David Desilets got were two $50 tickets to Sunday’s first Showcase of Kitchens, put on by Manatee Technical Institute’s “Manatee Tech Foundation” for the purpose of raising funds so needy students can attend future SkillsUSA contests.

David Desilet’s birthday gift included a tour of five wow-inspiring homes in the East Manatee area. He and Michele joined 300 others Sunday who had no idea they were part of David’s birthday party.

At each of the five homes David and his “guests” got a gourmet entree made by a chef from an area restaurant on location and assisted by MTI culinary students. There was also red wine for him to enjoy. He finished his gift off with a dessert station at MTI’s east campus.

“It was cool,” David Desilets said with a grin.

One of David’s best memories was eating beef short ribs mixed with hoppin’ John risotto, a mixture of blackeyed peas, rice and cheese, by the pool at Julie Aranibar’s 6,000-square foot home in the Portmarnock section of Lakewood Ranch Country Club. The short ribs and hoppin’ John were made by SOMA Diner chef and owner Dave Shiplett.

Attending SkillsUSA events has become a tradition at MTI. The school has earned national championships six years in a row, said Mary Cantrell, the school’s director.

But that streak was in danger this year because of a lack of funding.

“We are under-funded by about $3 million,” said Cantrell, who attended the Showcase of Kitchens with her husband, Louis. “We had to come up with a way of raising money for students to be able to go.”

Showcase of Kitchens is one of several events, including a once-a-month flea market, designed to fill in the gaps.

Cantrell estimates Sunday’s event was so successful it will raise $15,000 to $20,000 for the school.

But an event that seemed to run on rails literally took hundreds of hours to plan and implement, said Linda Agresta, assistant director of academics at MTI.

First off, Jeff and Virginia Orenstein, Mark and Donna Puhalovich, Don and Audrey O’Leary, Jeff and Helen King and Aranibar all had to agree to give up their kitchens for four hours on a Sunday.

Then, once the date was nailed down, the MTI Foundation went out and found chefs from Anna Maria Oyster Bar, Polo Grill, The Sun House Restaurant & Bar, SOMA Diner and Stingray’s Grill, willing to donate their time.

Then, a menu had to be worked up and wine expert Dave Minton was brought in to consult.

The MTI school of law enforcement had to get commitments from students like Connor van Elswyk to direct traffic and handle emergencies with 300 people traveling to neighborhoods strange to them.

Everyone knew that for the event to be a success for David Desilets and others, the dessert station was the key.

That job fell to Dana Johnson, MTI’s bakery and pastry chef, who enlisted his classes to make pumpkin cheesecake, coconut frangipani cake and lemon and blackberry vacherin, among other delicacies.

Bradenton’s Carla Barr, who is well-known among her friends for her unique key lime pie creation with its pecan and cinnamon crust, said Johnson’s lemon and blackberry vacherin were excellent. They were gone before the event ended at 6 p.m.