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Obrigado (Thank You) for a Sizzling Soiree!

A host of revelers headed south of the equator for the WCC Foundation's 24th Annual Mardi Gras "Sao Paolo Soiree", on February 7, 2009.

This event was established to offer people an opportunity to have fun while raising funds to benefit the students of Washtenaw Community College through the foundation. This year our generous sponsors and guests turned up the heat and contributed over $117,000!

Thank you to all who made this possible... you are truly hot, hot, hot!

Special thanks to the event co-chairs Robert Wm. Brewster & Dr. Dina Cocco and Dennis & Monique Deschaine, the Mardi Gras committees, the WCC Foundation staff, and the WCC Culinary Arts & Hospitality department, along with celebrity guest chefs that prepared culinary delights and mentored the WCC students in the process:
  • Chef Joseph Beato, Via Nove
  • Chef William Collins, Barton Hills Country Club
  • Chef Ramon Herrera, Arts Institute
  • Chef Dave Rensi, Opus One
  • Chef Dan Tesin, Campus Inn
  • Chef Alex Young, Zingerman's Roadhouse

And to our WCC chefs Terri Herrera, Paul McPherson, Carol Calder Deinzer, Catherine Ackerman of Gandy Dancer, Chris Troiano, lab assistant to the chefs, the hospitality staff of Jill Beauchamp, Cary Gary, John Gary, lab assistants Sean Conley and Sarah Brennan, and all the WCC students, you're the best!

Another very special thank you to all the sponsors and numerous volunteers, whose generous support and gifts of time and talent, truly made this event so special.

Please enjoy the recap photos taken by our WCC Advanced Digital Photography students, Jamie Cohen, Wells Henderson, and Sarah Komar on Flickr. Select recipes from some of the Mardi Gras chefs are available as downloadable PDF files.

Plan now to attend next year when Mardi Gras celebrates its 25th Anniversary.