From a story by David Salcido in the Las Cruces Bulletin
Food and wine, two of life’s greatest pleasures, will be the featured attraction when Men Who Cook brings wine country to the Las Cruces Convention Center on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. Mesilla Valley Hospice Foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year celebrates its 16th year bringing the area’s most talented community leaders, business people, local celebrities and supporters together to showcase their culinary skills.
“The whole purpose for this event is as a fundraiser for Mesilla Valley Hospice,” said MVH Provider Relations Representative Staci Mays. “We feel that everybody deserves to die with dignity, and we want to serve everybody. We don’t turn anybody away. Not everybody we serve has insurance or is of Medicare age, so part of the proceeds of this fundraiser go to that charity fund.”
To make this happen, Staci and her team are pulling out all the stops. “Being wine country, we want it to be completely immersive,” she said. “This year we went for an outdoor vineyard kind of vibe, with the décor and the lighting. In addition to providing wine, D.H. Lescombes (Winery and Bistro) brought in wine barrels, wine bottles for the tables with specialty labels for Men Who Cook, corks to decorate and all three of their flatbed vehicles. Also, Sunland Park Nursery is providing all the greenery to make it more outdoorsy.”
As usually happens with this event, the volunteer chefs will decide what they will be cooking based on four categories: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish and Dessert. The entries are evaluated by a panel of judges to determine the overall winner in each category. All dishes are prepared in the convention center’s kitchen, then transported to the ballroom to be distributed by the chefs to the judges and attendees.
In addition to the culinary repast, the evening promises a full slate of entertainment. “We’ll have a stage set up in the center with different entertainment, like aerialists, dancers and a mime provided by Odd Lab” Staci said. “We’ll also have a section set up for grape stomping, thanks to D.H. Lescombes donating the equipment.”
Some of the celebrity chefs who have already confirmed are Rick Altamirano, from Steinborn & Associates, who will be teaming up with Toucan Market; Vic Villalobos, owner of Fetching Designs and Las Cruces Dock Diving, who will team up with Bite of Belgium; Chad Getz, owner of Getz Funeral Home, and Mike Tourtillott with the Sisbarro Dealerships will be there, along with chefs from Chope’s Bar and Café, Les Rendez-vous Café, Urban Café and others.
Confirmed judges are NMSU Basketball Coach Jason Hooten; Jean Hertzman, director of the school of hotel, restaurant and tourism management at New Mexico State University; and the Las Cruces Fire Department’s Mobile Integrated Healthcare coordinator, Paul Ford. Emcees for the evening will be Salina Madrid and Jessica Gonzales from KFOX-14.
Tickets are $125 each, and advance tickets are available at Mesilla Valley Hospice, 299 E. Montana Ave. They can also be purchased at the door on the day of the event. The 16th Annual Men Who Cook fundraiser takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Las Cruces Convention Center, 680 E. University Ave. More information is available at MVHospice.org and via Staci Mays at [email protected] or 575-642-8338.