The East Meadow Chamber of Commerce’s 12th annual Culinary Delights fundraiser was a great success, said Dolores Rome, the Chamber’s chairwoman of the board and an event chairperson.
The annual event, held on Sept. 29 at the Carltun on the Park in Eisenhower Park, gives local restaurants the opportunity to showcase their food and drink specialties. Attendees can wine and dine as they wish, traveling from room to room for tastings, or walk along the gardens and listen to music. The fundraiser, which benefitted six local charities, also allows business owners to network with one another.
Raffles were also distributed during the evening, including 60 gift baskets that were donated by local businesses. “Everybody donates their services,” Rome said. “That is the wonderful thing.”
Several volunteers from the Nassau University Medical Center assisted with the event, said Rome. Chris Hackert, of East Meadow Florist, served as the master of ceremonies, and Walter Lazauskas was the DJ. The other event chairperson was John Arigo, of Pietro’s Pizzeria and Italian Kitchen.
The six beneficiaries of the fundraiser are the Nassau University Medical Center’s pediatric department, the Nassau/Suffolk Autism Society, Kiwanis Club of East Meadow Kamp Kiwanis, the East Meadow PTA Council, EPIC Long Island and America’s Vet Dogs (K-9 Corps).