Food, Flowers and Friends, Meerkerk Gardens turns a fundraiser into an elegant evening

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Every year Meerkerk Gardens turns its major fundraising event into a tasteful evening. Literally.

First off, guests at the Meerkerk Medley are treated to mouthwatering meals in private homes. After dinner, guests go to the flower-filled, candle-lit rhododendron gardens. They are invited to enjoy an array of desserts — cakes, torts, pies and more — all the while sipping on wine and other beverages and taking in live music and the company of friends.

This year’s event will feature both a silent and live auction, as well.

“It’s a very enchanting, elegant evening,” said event co-chair Pat Sasson.

For the past six years, about 10 to 15 volunteer hosts have invited the community into their homes to wine and dine. They take care to create a meal everyone will enjoy.

Last year, Pat Sasson presented her guests with an appetizer of prawns, mussels and oysters. She then treated them to roasted red pepper soup and artichoke salad, and served grilled salmon for the main course.

Dinner hosts serve anywhere from six to 28 guests. This year, meals will vary from traditional favorites to Japanese and Korean cuisine.

The highlight for many Medley participants is when they arrive at the garden. All guests come together to be greeted by mouthwatering treats.

“At Meerkerk we have dessert tables with servers, and the desserts are just phenomenal,” Sasson said.

All desserts are created for the event by volunteers — many considered to be the island’s top cuisine artists.

Whidbey Island band Pachanga will perform at the gardens.

“They play some Latin tunes, some show tunes, some dance tunes — it’s eclectic,” Sasson said.

Guests will also have the chance to participate in the auctions at Meerkerk.

“We have some wonderful auction items,” Sasson said.

Live auction items include a day sailing and lunch, an original painting of Meerkerk by Norma Bolan, and 10 dozen cookies per month for a year.

Other auction items include handcrafted earrings, dinner certificates and bed-and-breakfast stays. That’s just a partial list, though.

“I could go on and on,” Sasson said.

The medley is a fundraiser for the nonprofit Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens, and the cost of the event is tax deductible. Contributions go directly to the beautification and improvement of the gardens.

Sasson, Medley founder, is happy to have found a fundraiser that benefits the gardens and also makes for an entertaining evening.

“It’s just pure fun,” she said.