2017 Love to Eat - Love to Live Fundraiser Launched by Christina Inserillo

Christina Inserillo

The city of Boulder in Colorado recently saw an influx of professional chefs coming in. This was a result of a new fundraiser by Christina Inserillo, which is known as the 2017 Love to Eat - Love to Live campaign. Christina Inserillo has a gift for communication and was able to convince four professional chefs to cook meals at her event, free of charge, in order to raise money for those who are struggling with their medical bills.

Christina Inserillo says: "Everybody loves to eat, but not everybody loves to live because we are burdened by illnesses and serious medical bills. What I wanted to do is make sure that people could receive a high quality, tasty meal, building a sense of community and combating loneliness. At the same time, any money raised would go towards helping people pay for medical bills. I'm so happy to say that the event was a huge success, and I'm already planning the next one."

"The first Love to Eat - Love to Live was a huge success! I have had a lot of interest in terms of next steps, and am looking at what to do for the next one. I think it is important to do something different each time, so I have my thinking cap on!"

Christina Inserillo

The four professional chefs who came for the event served a five course meal targeted at families, to give the gathering a homely, community feel. The event was on a "pay what you see fit" basis, meaning people could decide how much, if anything at all, they wanted to pay for the meal. There were 1,000 places available, spread over a five hour period, and all places were taken by the end of the night.

"When the final plate had been cleared, it was time to announce how much we had earned," says Christina Inserillo. "I was so nervous, because a lot of people had their lives riding on this event. However, I should have known that the Boulder community would not let me down, as we raised close to a half a million dollars."

One of the people who attended the meal said: "I'm not going to tell you how much I paid for my meal. It isn't about me, after all. But what I can tell you is that Christina Inserillo's idea, her community spirit, her excellent marketing skills, and the fact that she managed to get four professional chefs there, made sure that people dug really deep, and so did I. All I can say is well done to everyone involved."

The starter of the meal was created by a barbecue chef, who came up with a plate of sliders. A Sherry Cobbler cocktail was then served, a signature drink by a second chef. After the Cobbler, people were encouraged to walk around, mingle, and generally relax. Christina Inserillo had also announced that all works of art around the venue would be up for auction after the main course, which significantly contributed to the money that was raised by the end of the night.

After the Sherry Cobblers, people were invited to line up for the whole-hog cookout, as well as for the first auction. The first auction was for ten backyard cookouts for 100 people, which sold for $5,000 per cookout. During the meal, other items were auctioned, including fabulous local art, ski trips, and a fishing boat.

A chef from India then served a delicious dahi papadi chaat, together with a tapas-style plate of crab, vegetables, braised beef, mushrooms, shiitakes, spring onions, and watercress. Finally, dessert was served by an artisan baker, who create a salted caramel and toffee cheesecake with dark chocolate pate and raspberry coulis.

The event was held in an old plantation house in Colorado, surrounded by lavish grounds and gardens, necessary for a gathering of that size. Christina Inserillo adds: "The first Love to Eat - Love to Live was a huge success! I have had a lot of interest in terms of next steps, and am looking at what to do for the next one. I think it is important to do something different each time, so I have my thinking cap on!"

The event was a huge success and garnered a lot of national attention. Christina Inserillo has now been contacted by a number of nonprofit organizations to look at the possibility of recreating a similar event on a national level. They have been impressed with the fact that a single individual was able to organize something so big, in such a successful way, and hope she will be able to do something similar on a bigger scale. Christina Inserillo ends: "Who would have thought that I would ever become a type of consultant? I'm absolutely loving life at the moment, and while people look to me as the source of its success, I would like to personally thank the Boulder community for their cooperation."

Source: Christina Inserillo

Share:

Additional Images