MS Dinner of Champions

I volunteer quite a bit and some organizations actually feed us. I don't volunteer to be fed but it is definitely a perk. Even if I am fed by the organization that I am working for though, I wouldn't expect to get the same dinner that the dinner guests are being fed. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is a great organization so I would have no problem donating my time even if I wasn't fed. I volunteered for the MS Dinner of Champions this last Thursday (September 15th) which honored Jim Skinner, the CEO of McDonalds, which does a lot to support research for a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. They also had Meredith Vieira and her husband, Richard Cohen, speaking about living with MS. We were told when we signed up to volunteer for the event that we would be fed. What I did not expect was that we would be provided seats at the main tables and had the same dinner that the donors received. I must say that the dinner was very good as well as the speakers and the entertainment. We ate a three course dinner consisting of salad, entree, and dessert. Our salad was a Mediterranean Salad with mixed greens, oven roasted tomatoes, feta cheese, eggplant croutons, and a lemon basil vinaigrette. I really liked the roasted tomatoes and feta but I could have done with a little more vinaigrette. Our entree actually had two proteins, soy-ginger braised short ribs and herb-seared halibut with a Dijon mustard aioli. A wild rice blend and pattypan squash, carrot, asparagus, and baby zucchini were also served. The short ribs were very tender and flavorful as was the halibut and the vegetables were actually very fresh.
I had liked the salad and the entree but the dessert was just ridiculous. It was a red velvet cake with a cream cheese icing and shaved chocolate, pecans, and Creme Anglaise with sliced strawberries and blueberries. It was a great event and a great dinner that I really enjoyed.