Beyond the Plate

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our annual Beyond the Plate fundraising dinner was canceled in 2021. We hope to be able to schedule another Beyond the Plate dinner soon; check back here for more information.

BEYOND THE PLATE 2020
Our fourth annual Beyond the Plate fundraiser for the Ithaca MobilePack for Feed My Starving Children took place on February 23, 2020, with a full house of 160 guests, a welcome beverage with a nod toward spring, elegant cheeses, delicious 5-course meal, and wine pairings. In total, the dinner raised $34,000 for the Ithaca MobilePack!

We are extremely grateful for the generous contributions from members of the Ithaca community, including many St. Catherine’s parishioners, which made Beyond the Plate possible and so successful. Thank you to: our featured chefs, beverage artist, and wine expert; event sponsors; emcee and guest speakers; our Beyond the Plate Planning Committee; our parishioners who volunteered for setup, serving at the event, and cleanup; and all who bought tickets.




The Ithaca MobilePack is a multiday event where volunteers fill “MannaPacks” with nutritious meal formulas, which are distributed to needy children around the world. The goal is to pack a minimum of 300,000 meals. At a cost of 24 cents per meal, this means we need to raise at least $72,000! The more money raised, the more lifesaving meals can be packed. Beyond the Plate is one of the ways St. Catherine’s supports the fundraising efforts for the MobilePack.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s pack, which was to have taken place October 2–4, 2020, at Barton Hall on the Cornell campus, has been postponed. The next pack will take place in 2021. We will post more information as it becomes available.



We recognize and thank those who contributed in significant ways to Beyond the Plate 2020:

Featured chefs: Jay Dietershagen (Crossroads Bar and Grille), Jim Durkee (Cayuga Medical Center), Sam Epps (Gola Osteria), our own Fr. Joe Marcoux, Frank Purrazzi (Serendipity Catering & Bar), and Elisa Tumino-Van Amburgh.

Beverage Artists: Alex Kearns-Apuya and Sam Holzbauer (Serendipity Catering & Bar)

Wine expert: Andrew Converse (Triphammer Wine & Spirits) 

Emcee: Ann Marie Eckert

Guest Speakers: Joseph & Tristan Babcock, IMP volunteers

Servers: Caitlan Buche, Michael Buche, Jill Dollaway, Cecelia Earls, Dan Felser, Casey Gallagher, Vickie Greenhouse, John Licitra, Steve Jesch, Jennifer Karius, Neal Kerwin, Allison Lawton-Kerwin.

Back-End Manager: Ted Skibinski

Kitchen Crew: Ashley Blank, Bryant Blank, Kristy Colbert, Art DeGaetano, Margaret DeGaetano, Amie Germain, Andrew Germain

Setup/Cleanup: Jenny Berkowitz, Ashley Blank, Bryant Blank, Jane Bonassar, Ellen Chase, Kristy Colbert, Mary Crosley, Steve Dollaway, Frank Fetsko, Maura Fetsko, Elena Flash, Carl Franck, Zsophie Franck, Caryl Funke, Sonja Gordon, Bre Hade, Katy Hickman, Haley Hosking, Mary Hutchens, Sue Hyatt, Chris Irving, Cayla Jones, Ellen Kennicutt, Allison Kerwin, Neal Kerwin, Mary Kay Lalonde, Cindy Mosqueda, Colleen Rajotte, Amanda Shaw, Steve Shaw, Dianne Valesente, Brianna Weiner, Marge Wheelock, Haun Wong.

Beyond the Plate Planning Committee: Mary Berens, Bryant Blank, Kristin Colbert, Mary Crosley, Ann Marie Eckert, Maura Fetsko, Caryl Funke, Allison Kerwin, Lisa LiVigne, Fr. Joe Marcoux, Patricia Sipple, Ted Skibinski, Dianne Valesente.



Thank You to Our Sponsors
The Beyond the Plate Planning Team would like to acknowledge and thank the local businesses and individuals who contributed sponsorship to this important fundraising effort for the Ithaca MobilePack for Feed My Starving Children. We couldn’t do this event without their generous support:

Course and Wine Sponsors
Caren Baldini
Bridges Cornell Heights (Elizabeth Ambrose)
Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors (Bob Pochily)
Friends of First Congregational Church and St. Catherine of Siena Church
Greg Galvin
Lucente Homes and Apartments (Waltraud Lucente)
Jay Williamson, Wealth Advisor, Northwestern Mutual
Julia C. Gorman, CFP, SVP/Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch
Sciarabba Walker & Co., LLP (Jeff Gorsky)
Squeaky Clean Car Wash (Gary and Karen Sloan)
Triad Foundation

Gold Sponsors (contributed $1,000): 
Tompkins Trust Company
George and DIanne Valesente
Warren Real Estate
Jennifer and Sean Whittaker

General Sponsors (contributed $250–$999)
Benjamin Peters, Inc. (Peter Parkes)
Candy Cima
Jim and Kim Kirkwood
Lisa and Tom LiVigne
Dawn and Mike Redlin
Kate Seaman Team, Warren Real Estate

In-Kind Sponsors (contributed food, time, products):
Flower Fashions by Haring (Holly and Doug Manuel-Nash)
Michaleen's Florist and Garden Center (Michaleen Herzog)
P&C Fresh (Greg Young)
Elisa Tumino-Van Amburgh
Triphammer Wine & Spirits (Julie Crowley)