September 2005

Chili Cook-off Heats Up Fenway Park

What does Fenway Park, Project Place , and 14 of some of Boston's areas hottest chefs have in common? HomePlate, of course, and not the one you slide into. HomePlate is a new social enterprise created by Project Place that offers a prepared foods line featuring wholesome and convenient meals for people on the go. On March 13th 2005, participants cast their vote in the HomePlate Chili Cook-off at Fenway Park, selecting a winning meat and vegetarian chili to be HomePlate's initial and signature product.

So when the scorecards were tallied, who got the winning votes? See below...

Held at the 406 Club, participants had a view of the Green Monster while sampling chili from some of Boston's top chefs. Joanne Chang, owner of Flour Bakery & Cafe and event chair, saw this cook-off as having all the right ingredients. "The response from Boston area chefs was terrific. Not only were they happy to donate their time and talents to such a creative and important endeavor as HomePlate, but many are also huge Red Sox fans!" The cook-off was a huge success thanks to the generosity of sponsors Mellon and Aramark at Fenway Park, as well as the folks at Fenway Park and the World Champion Boston Red Sox who so graciously hosted the event.

Our deepest appreciation to all of the fantastic chefs who made the cook-off a home run!

So Who Were the Big Winners?...

Chef Nookie of Oleana Restaurant in Cambridge received the award for the favorite meat chili. Nookie was thrilled to be part of the chili cook-off and commented, "We're involved in a lot of charity events, but this one allowed me to actually go beyond the event itÕs self and see how my involvement could make a difference. HomePlate is a great idea and I think it's going to be a big success, especially with my chili recipe!"

Chef Robert Lionette of the South End's Garden of Eden took the prize for the favorite vegetarian chili. "This is a wonderful example of how local restaurants can become involved in charitable events that bring various segments of the community together to help each other", commented Robert.

Both chefs generously agreed to supply Project Place with their winning recipies, bringing their secret ingredients to Project Place, and sharing tips and ideas with the HomePlate crew. Joanne Chang from Flour Bakery & Cafe also contributed her expertise to the initiative, handing over her famous cornbread recipe to the HomePlate staff and demonstrating how to make this wonderful compliment to the perfect chili.

Chef Nookie trains HomePlate staff

Chef Robert Lionette demonstrates chopping techniques to HomePlate trainee.

The True HomePlate Champions!

We are pleased to report that each year HomePlate will employ over 10 homeless men and women in transitional housing who are courageously re-establishing self-sufficient lives--the true champions! One of these heros is Ebony (pictured left) who has been part of the HomePlate team since its debut. Ebony works hard each day--not only to make a great pot of chili, but to reestablish an independent life. She was recently featured on a Channel 4 Special Reports news story by Pauline Chiou in which she shared her thoughts regarding the ways her participation in HomePlate is helping her to meet her goals. "I have changed a lot since coming to Project Place" comments Ebony. "I have a better attitude dealing with people, my communication skills have improved and I really enjoy working with other people. HomePlate is helping me get a new start in life". We think you are doing a great job Ebony-- keep up the good work!

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Project Place Clients Take Learning to a New Level

With the help of our new Educational Specialist Kathleen McCarthy, Project Place clients are headed in directions they never dreamed possible! KathleenÕs arrival ushers in a new and innovative approach to adult education programming here at Project Place--through the provision of both formal and informal educational assessments, evaluations and feedback, her goal is to help each client create a specific vision of their future with an emphasis on their strengths and interests. Kathleen readily provides resource and referral information to clients as needed, conducts a stress reduction group, teaches a "Workplace Essentials" class, and offers support and training to Project Place staff on topics related to learning styles and their impact on workplace success. She also is dedicated to broadening our clientsÕ vision of what it means to achieve oneÕs goals, and in order to do so actively recruits individuals from the community willing to share with her students stories of their own professional and educational trajectories. Please contact Kathleen at Project Place (617) 542-3740 x23 if you are interested in helping out with this new initiative.

Another Sweet Success for Project Place's Valentine Gospel Brunch

On February 13th over 300 individuals opened their hearts to support Project Place's Second Annual Gospel Brunch, and what a fantastic event it was! The brunch took place at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, this beautiful historic hotel serving as the perfect setting for an inspirational morning of music.

We were honored to have Mayor Thomas Menino and State Representative Byron Rushing in attendance as our honored guests, and were so grateful to have David Brown, Weather Anchor, WCVB-TV serve as the event's host--as always he did a superb job facilitiating the event and serving as auctioneer for the live auction items. Our deepest gratitude to the sponsors of the Gospel Brunch including Mellon, 7-Eleven, Citizens Bank, Mt. Washington Bank, McKinsey & Co., Brian Perry, Mary Kelleher, Ken Smith, Suzanne Kenney and Valet Parking of New England. Much thanks to event chair Katy Dirks and our other wonderful volunteers for pulling it all together--we couldn't do it without you!

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