In just a few days, foodies across the county — and elsewhere in the Hudson Valley — can enjoy a great meal for an equally great cause: helping our area’s smallest patients through Blythedale Children’s Hospital’s inaugural Dine Out for Blythedale event on October 23.
The concept is simple: Patronize one of the event’s many participating establishments on Tuesday, including more than 100 eateries in Westchester (click here for the list), and a portion of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to the Valhalla hospital. “Most restaurants will give between 10 and 20 percent of the proceeds for the entire restaurant,” says Robert R. Lane, Blythedale’s chief development officer and co-chair of the event. In addition, some restaurateurs will personally match the sum raised from diners.
The event is the brainchild of Lane, who began his career at the Culinary Institute of America and recruited celebrity chef Waldy Malouf, now the CIA’s senior director of food and beverage operations, as co-chair. “We’re taking the strength of a network of restaurateurs and making it easy for them to participate in a benefit for the hospital,” Lane explains. “Instead of asking chefs on a Saturday night to pack up a bunch of chafing dishes and go to a hotel banquet hall, on a Tuesday night they simply can remain in the restaurant where they are anyway,” he says.
Chef Peter Kelly of X2O Xaviars on the Hudson is one of the enthusiastic participants. “The work that Blythedale does with children is so wonderful. I wish I could do it myself,” he says. “It’s just a small way of giving back to the community. And if our participation helps draw in others, that’s great.” Plenty of casual eateries are on board as well, from delis and pizzerias to Westchester Burger Company in White Plains, Mount Kisco, and Rye Brook. “Supporting an organization like Blythedale Hospital, which tries to help children, is a no-brainer for us,” says Eli Northern, general manager at WBC’s Mount Kisco location. “We are a family-owned business and we try to keep as much positive influence in the community as possible.”
All proceeds collected will go towards Blythedale’s infant care unit. “Half our population in the hospital, which has 86 inpatient beds, is under the age of one,” Lane shares. “We want to create some awareness through the Dine Out program that this is a very important population for us to support. We provide acute care for infants who come in and are sick…the cause could be disease, injuries, birth defects, a whole myriad of things,” Lane explains. As the state’s only independent, specialty children’s hospital, Blythedale aids an underserved population: “Seventy-six percent of our families are on Medicaid,” Lane says. “The balance, in terms of expanding the hospital and creating more programs or getting more equipment, is through philanthropy and the generosity of individuals and foundations who want to support our children.” On October 23, you’ll get your chance to be one of those treasured helpers.
For more information on this event, visit www.dineoutforblythedale.org.
