There are three key ingredients to creating a signature Emily Ellyn dish: a garnish of farmhouse foodie flair, a touch of exotic spices and a heaping portion of retro-rad style.
Plant City residents will get all that and more Saturday, Feb. 4, when Ellyn serves up some of her favorite dishes at the Ninth Annual Celebrity Chef Dinner, a fundraiser for the United Food Bank of Plant City.
“It’s going to be a fun and entertaining evening,” Leigh Scott, spokesperson for the United Food Bank, said. “This is our largest fundraiser, and we would love to raise $70,000 this year. It sets the precedent for the rest of the year.”
Funds will go toward educating food bank clients, including efforts to continue the food bank’s existing Money Smart class and encouraging residents to look at the labels on their food.
“So much of our money is earmarked,” United Food Bank Director Mary Heysek said. “This is for general support.”
Ellyn, a native of rural Ohio, is happy to help with the efforts. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, she later worked as a teaching assistant for the school. She also has two master’s degrees, including one from the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality and
Management.
“I grew up on a farm,” Ellyn said. “I grew up loving fresh food. I didn’t see packaged chicken until culinary school.”
Ellyn, a winner of ‘Cutthroat Kitchen’ and a Food Network Star alumna was recruited for Celebrity Chef by her friend, Whitney Miller Humphrey. Humphrey connected Ellyn with Brian
West, a committee member for the food bank.
The rest, Ellyn said, is history.
“Last year, I worked with Feeding America Tampa Bay,” Ellyn said. “I have a good relationship with both Wish Farms and Publix.”
Known for her cat-eye glasses, Ellyn jokes that she was born retro rad.
“I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s,” Ellyn said. “But I have an affinity for the ‘50s and ‘60s.”
To fit in with her theme, the United Food Bank of Plant City will deck out the John R. Trinkle Center at Hillsborough Community College the night of the event.
“We’ll have tidbits of a retro theme,” Scott said. “She’s bubbly and fun. We’ll have centerpieces with cat-eye glasses.”
As for the meal, Ellyn said that she hopes to take attendees on a food journey.
“There’s something magical about bringing people around the table and breaking bread with them,” she said. “I want to take them from farmhouse to school house to your house. I love stir fry and curry, but I also love tuna noodle casserole and comfort dishes. I want to tell a story and entertain.”
This year’s menu includes spinach salad and roasted chicken. Berry cocktails — and other tasty surprises — will also be in store for attendees. A cooking demonstration will take place after the meal, and the night will include auction items for attendees to bid on.
“I’m just looking forward to it,” Ellyn said.
The ninth annual Celebrity Chef Dinner will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at the John R. Trinkle Center at Hillsborough Community College, 1206 N. Park Road. Tickets are $100 per person.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.