With the first major snowstorm barreling towards the Capital Region and nightly temperatures dipping into the 20s, Saratoga Springs’ most vulnerable population, the homeless, will be scrambling to find a warm meal, blanket and roof over their heads. So a group of local restauranteurs have taken up the cause, and are actively doing something about it. On November 26, nine local chefs will be teaming up to offer A Night Of Warmth in the ballroom at the Embassy Suites hotel in Saratoga. The event will feature food, wine, beer and a specialty cocktail from nine Saratoga restaurants, which include Osteria Danny, Harvey’s Restaurant and Bar, Boca Bistro, Prime at Saratoga National, Hamlet & Ghost, Forged, Buddha Noddle, Hatties Restaurant and Embassy Suites.
A big tasting menu for a good cause is the brainchild of Adam Humphrey, Chef and Co-owner of Harvey’s, who had previously talked with Danny Petrosino of Osteria Danny about creating an event to raise money for Saratoga’s homeless population. Humphrey and Petrosino are already in the process of starting a nonprofit organization, Saratoga Chefs Against Hunger, a collection of local chefs that will pool their resources and skills to fight hunger. “We did our homework and we called a lot of the Code Blue shelters, and they told us that they have roughly 70 people that are recorded homeless in Saratoga,” says Harvey. “So our goal is to raise enough money to buy 70 packages that would include a tarp, winter jacket, sleeping bag, a book bag and essential stuff like socks, toothpaste and a toothbrush. And we reached out to everybody we knew for support.”
Humphrey says the response from the community has been overwhelming so far, and the Embassy Suites even donated their ballroom for the event. Not only will there be an array of foods to taste there, but also expect a silent auction and a raffle for a free dinner-for-two at every restaurant participating in A Night Of Warmth. (That’s nine free dinner-dates!) Tickets are $75 apiece, or you can reserve a table of eight for $525. Purchase them here. All proceeds from the event, even the $10 raffle tickets, go towards helping Saratoga’s homeless stay warm this winter. The chefs will even accept any type of donations that help the homeless at the event. “We’ve already had someone donate all his tarps, and we have someone else donating toothbrushes and toothpaste,” says Humphrey. “Whether it’d be to raise money for food or to adopt a family for the holidays, we just want to make this an annual event to help out whoever is less fortunate.”
