Community Dinners

I have a business idea that I've been kicking around for the past six months or so. I want to organize monthly dinners at community centers in different parts of town, with menus based on local foods. I've been involved with various fundraising events the past few years which enlisted local chefs to donate their time and local farmers to donate their produce, creating a meal whose proceeds benefited a nonprofit organization. A farmer friend described it as "the solution feeding the problem."

The last time I attended one of these events I started envisioning something more along the lines of the Vegetarians of Washington monthly dinner at the Mount Baker Community Center, which features different caterers and restaurants each month, paying them for their services so they can in turn pay their suppliers.

Chef Anne Catherine is doing something similar at her new spot in Ballard, for $36 per person. I'm thinking more along the lines of $12-$15 per person, because part of the message I want to communicate is that this kind of food just doesn't have to be that expensive.

This feels like a terrible time to be starting something like this, as far as the economy goes, so I'm mostly just letting the idea germinate. I also don't really know how to go about marketing it, although I know I could make it work on a practical level. I'm putting it out here today mainly to test the water...