SKYCITY Dining for a Difference 2010
Chivalrous chefs contribute cuisine for a record fundraiser
On Saturday 30 October, SKYCITY’s Dining for a Difference raised a record $207,000 for the LBF patient support services. The elegant black-tie affair, held at the SKYCITY Convention Centre, was co-hosted by Kerre Woodham and TV3 presenter Hilary Barry and featured musical guest, New Zealand music icon, Che Fu.
The evening brimmed with 286 guests, including many of New Zealand’s celebrities, business executives and media, who delighted in sumptuous cuisine from New Zealand’s celebrity chef Peter Gordon and top chefs from Auckland, Taupo, Wellington and Christchurch.
The line up also featured three top Melbourne chefs, Hong Kong’s rock-and-roll ‘Demon chef’ Alvin Leung and London-based Nic Watt from Roka. The chefs all donated their time to participate in the culinary fête.
The guests did not know which world famous chef would cook for them until the night and a table name was drawn from a hat. The chefs each produced an individually created four-course menu with matching wines.
The evening included an exciting and competitive auction with items such as “Love London,” Air New Zealand paid flights to London and four-course degustation menu at Peter Gordon’s Providores for four and the chance to buy a personally significant date on the LBF’s Every Day Counts Calendar for $1,000, in the end $53,000 days sold. Fidelity Life purchased an entire month on the support services calendar.
Dining for a Difference is the brainchild of New Zealand celebrity chef Peter Gordon. Peter, of SKYCITY’s dine by Peter Gordon and Spanish Tapa bar Bellota as well as The Providores Restaurant in London, is well aware of the impact of leukaemia having successfully donated bone marrow to his sister Tracey over 13 years ago.
Inspired to help other patients with leukaemia, Peter has used his reputation and skill as a chef to orchestrate dinners in the United Kingdom over the last twelve years to help raise over £3.38 million (about NZ$7.5 million) for the Leukaemia Unit at Hammersmith Hospital in London as well as this, the third ‘Dining for a Difference in New Zealand.
Proceeds from the event will go to the LBF Support Services Programme. The event was sponsored by SKYCITY, Air New Zealand, BNZ Partners, Lion Nathan, Ogilvy, Orange Productions and supported by so many others to ensure that the night was a success. 2010 Photos by Michael Bradley
About the 2009 event
On Saturday 18 April 2009 iconic kiwi musician Dave Dobbyn stunned the 270 guests at the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation (LBF) fundraiser, SKYCITY Dining for a Difference, performing classic hits such as Loyal, Beside You and a special tribute to Peter Gordon.
The elegant black-tie event, held at the SKYCITY Convention Centre, was hosted by Kerre Woodham. The night brimmed with New Zealand’s most recognizable and respected celebrities including former All Black Buck Shelford, TV3 personality Hilary Barry, former TV presenter John Hawksby and fashion designer extraordinaire Denise L'Estrange-Corbet as well as businesses and media.
Brainchild of New Zealand celebrity chef Peter Gordon, the award-winning event was New Zealand’s second after the inaugural dinner in 2007 was such a success. Gordon, of SKYCITY’s dine by Peter Gordon and The Providores restaurant in London, returned to New Zealand to organise and take part in the event to honour his sister Tracey who survived leukaemia over 12 years ago.
During the night, Dave Dobbyn serenaded Gordon on stage with his touching classic Welcome Home, “you have sacrificed so much to be here,” Dobbyn sang.
The chefs generously donated their time and culinary expertise to be there. They meticulously prepared for weeks. There was lively bidding on several of the auction items such as the opportunity to have Peter Gordon cook for eight guests at the winner’s home. The result was an incredible night raising $160,000 for LBF.
Gordon was thrilled to bring the stunning event to New Zealand. “This is a fantastic opportunity to bring people together to help the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation. SKYCITY is delighted to be supporting such a fantastic cause and to be doing it in such style.”
Gordon was joined by chefs Geoff Scott (Vinnies, Auckland), Philip Johnson (Ecco, Queensland, Australia), Rex Morgan (Citron, Wellington), Martin Bosley (Martin Bosley’s Yacht Club, Wellington), Simon Wright (The French Café, Auckland), Elizabeth Falkner (Orson, San Francisco), Christine Manfield (Universal, Sydney, Australia), Michael Meredith (Merediths, Auckland), Al Brown (Logan Brown, Wellington), Martin Boetz (Longrain, New South Wales, Australia), Pete Gawron (Saffron, Queenstown) and Jereme Leung (Jereme Leung Creative Concepts, Shanghai, China). Iconic kiwi baker Dean Brettsnider provided the dinner rolls.
The event is a major fundraiser for LBF. The event was sponsored by SKYCITY, Air New Zealand, who flew all the chefs into Auckland, Lion Nathan, Ogilvy, Orange Productions and others donating beverages, creative services and time to ensure that the event was a success.
