Ponderay Rotary hosting epic-urean raffle

The Rotary Club of Ponderay has started selling tickets for its second annual EPIC-curean Raffle.

The prize is a special dinner for six that can be served in the winner's home in the greater Sandpoint area, Dover and Hope. Proceeds from the raffle go towards the Club’s educational scholarships and community projects. The meal is designed by Judy Colegrove, owner of Tango Cafe, Gordon Holmes and Carol and Barney Ballard.

The 2022 winner of the EPIC-curean raffle was Mickey Quinn, a business coach and consultant, and long-time resident of Sandpoint for 25 years. When Mickey gathered five of her close friends for this special dinner, it was a cool summer day in June. She describes, “It was truly Epic. It exceeded my expectations. It was delicious, adventurous and educational.” She’s planning on purchasing more tickets this year in hopes of winning again. She is also getting her friends, including those who participated in the meal, to purchase a raffle ticket to increase their chance of winning again.

No strangers to serving up tasty dishes, the Ballards started in restaurants in Boulder, Colo., in 1974, and after moving to Sandpoint in 1984, opened up The Cupboard Cafe. In 2003, they opened up the Dock of the Bay at the Holiday Shores Marina.

Colegrove was their employee, first at the Beachhouse Restaurant five years prior, and then at The Dock of the Bay.

“We had been inspired by our travels to Argentina and Brazil and our goal at the Dock of the Bay was to bring a new menu to our restaurant each year that reflected the 'comida' of South America," Barney Ballard said. "We always had great employees, like Judy, who were excited about the menu and our wine selections.”

The Ballards were able to successfully provide a unique dining experience that eventually became the Tango Cafe. He credits his long-term employees for keeping the restaurant thriving with their great ideas and skills. Colegrove purchased Tango Cafe from the Ballards in 2010.

Barney, a Rotary Club of Ponderay member, said he looks forward to the opportunity again to serve alongside his wife, Carol, his longtime friend, Judy and Judy’s friend, Gordon Holmes, while raising money for a good cause. Together these culinary cooks have over 125 years experience in the kitchen.

"The strength of this four-person cooking crew is that we can work with you on your menu, and special dietary needs will be accommodated,” Barney said. This past summer when they prepared the special meal for Mickey and her five guests, they worked directly with her on the menu. The end result was a beautiful four-course meal starting with a caponata appetizer and pan fresh Parmesan-almond crackers, and then a fresh green salad with a touch of Saganaki and ciabatta toasted with Argentine Chimi-Churri. The main course of Tournedos of filet mignon with a Pinot Noir demi-glace was served with Duchess piped potatoes and fresh asparagus wrapped with prosciutto. They finished off the meal with Carol Ballard’s decadent chocolate cake served over a shallow spill of fresh cream. All the courses were complimented with hand-selected wines from DRNK Winery of Sebastopol, Calif.

"They are excited to do this again for another lucky winner. This private dinner for you and five of your friends or family is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Tiffany Goodvin of Ponderay Rotary said.

Goodvin went on to say, "We were so successful last year with the fundraiser and other fundraisers throughout the year, that we were able to award $33,500 to local students in the way of scholarships, plus support local projects too.”

The club’s scholarship program is unique in their support of continuing education and how they like to follow students through to college graduation with their financial help. Last year, they awarded 21 continuing education students and 23 graduating seniors.

Raffle tickets are $50 each and the winner will be drawn Nov. 24.

Tickets are limited, so the more you buy, the better chance you have to win. When the Club sells 200 tickets, it will be sold out.

Tickets can be purchased from Ponderay Rotary members or by visiting the website ponderayrotaryclub.com.