Cookin Men 2017

Evangelical Community Hospital held its annual breast cancer awareness event, Cookin’ Men, on Thursday, October 19, 2017, at the Rusty Rail Brewing Company in Mifflinburg, Pa. The event brings together local celebrity men who create culinary delights for people to enjoy while raising funds to support the Thyra M. Humphreys Center for Breast Health.

The event was a huge success, breaking all past event numbers, with a crowd of 500 attendees and volunteers coming out to taste the 28 different delicious creations and a dessert display of this year’s 26 celebrity male chefs/chef teams. Tickets for the popular event sold-out in just four days.

In total, the event raised approximately $47,000 for the Center for Breast Health, the highest amount ever. The Center for Breast Health offers state-of-the-art screenings, financial support for women needing mammograms who are uninsured or underinsured, navigation services for those diagnosed with breast cancer, and survivorship programming.

Pushing the fundraising over the top this year was the competitive drive toward being named Top Chef, which awarded the winner the coveted Pink Whisk Award and the premiere cooking station at the event. The contest, which challenged each chef to individually garner the most donations for the Center for Breast Health, ended at noon the day of the event and brought in $22,955 of the total event proceeds.

Declared Top Chef were Jim Barbarich and Victor Tsui of Members Choice Financial Credit Union, who raised $3,100 by the noon deadline. The duo served the crowd cheese stuffed meatballs with smoky BBQ sauce and chocolate fudge brownie bites.

Other top fundraisers included Douglas Spotts, MD and Geoff Gibson, Family Medicine of Evangelical and Allscripts; Chris Peifer, Susquehanna Valley Limousine; Timm Moyer and Ric Jones of MoJo Active, Inc.; Eric John, Ritz-Craft Corporation of PA; James Patterson, MD, Family Medicine of Evangelical; and Bradley Mudge, DO, Surgical Specialists of Evangelical; who all far exceeded their goals of raising at least $1,000 individually.

“We are so grateful for events like these that support the services at the Center for Breast Health,” said Andrea Bertram, Operational Director of Women’s Health and Cancer Services. “It is through the services of the Center for Breast Health that we are able to help diagnose women and men with breast cancer early enough to save lives and to walk with them through their journey of survivorship.”

This year’s event presented dishes ranging from appetizers, to entrees, to desserts and was generously sponsored by Weis Markets, Inc.; Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP; Members Choice Financial Credit Union; VNA Health System; Heritage Springs Memory Care; Prudential; The Centurion Group; The Daily Item; Quantum Imaging & Therapeutic Associates, Inc.; The Eye Center of Central PA; Swineford National Bank; and Wood-Mode, Inc.

Attendees also voted for their favorite dish by sampling all of the options and casting their vote. David Rowe, CrossFit Lewisburg, won favorite dish with his offering of spicy sesame tuna tataki. Another award was given to the chef or chef team who were deemed the most festive with table decorations representing pink enthusiasm through their use of flair. Kenneth Jusko, DO, Quantum Imaging & Therapeutic Associates, Inc., was given the honor for serving his horsey-beef and bacon biscuit at a fully transformed station backlit by pink lights, decorative pink puffs, and pink lit pumpkin with a ribbon cutout.

The Thyra M. Humphreys Center for Breast Health at Evangelical has a dedicated team of specialists who provide comprehensive care including screenings, diagnosis, and treatment for women. The care doesn’t stop there, after diagnosis the Center offers survivors support through clinics, programs, and one-on-one attention with professionals trained to understand the psychological, physical, emotional, and social effects of a cancer diagnosis. For more information about the Center for Breast Health and the services available, call 570-522-4200.

Photos of the event are available on Evangelical’s Facebook page and also at www.evanhospital.com.