Dining for a Difference

The sixth annual WomenCook! event features something new: two men. Michael Benson is the chef at the WOW Cafe at the Denver Department of Human Services, 1200 Federal Boulevard; Craig Dixon is the chef at Cafe Options, 1650 Curtis Street. But they have something in common beyond their gender: Their...

By Patricia Calhoun

April 29, 2010

Audio By Carbonatix

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The sixth annual WomenCook! event features something new: two men. Michael Benson is the chef at the WOW Cafe at the Denver Department of Human Services, 1200 Federal Boulevard; Craig Dixon is the chef at Cafe Options, 1650 Curtis Street. But they have something in common beyond their gender: Their kitchens are projects of Work Options for Women, which trains impoverished women in food-operation skills and is the beneficiary of tonight’s fundraiser. Like the dozen female chefs participating in WomenCook! — Aniedra Nichols from Elway’s Cherry Creek; Elise Wiggins from Panzano; Jennifer Jasinski from Rioja and Bistro Vendôme; Kate Horton from Black Pearl; Lisa Bailey from D Bar Desserts; Mary Nguyen from Parallel Seventeen; Sheila Lucero from Jax Fish House; Sandra Adams from the Grand Hyatt; Yasmin Lozada Hissom from Duo and Olivea; and Francesca Ruiz from Los Cabos — the men will cook up special dishes for the walk-around dinner, which runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Temple Emanuel, 51 Grape Street.

“The generosity of all chefs in Denver is exemplified in this event,” says WOW boardmember John Imbergamo. “We never have trouble finding star chefs to participate in the event. And it seems like there’s a bigger pool of female chefs than ever before.” Tickets are $125 each, but with a lineup like this, they’re going very quickly. To find out if you can still snag one, call 720-944-1166 or go to www.workoptions.org.
Mon., May 3, 6-8:30 p.m., 2010

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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