The Alternative Press

The Investors Foundation, which continues to provide grant funding to not-for-profit organizations that enrich the communities served by Investors Bank, has announced a $2,500 award to help Montclair host its first Food and Wine Festival.  The event will be held on June 1 and June 2, 2013 at the historic Upper Montclair Women’s Club.

The Festival was the brainchild of a volunteer group of local restaurant professionals, food writers, and food enthusiasts.  “Montclair is a popular destination for top-quality restaurants, and we wanted to showcase some of the best food, wine, and entertainment our state has to offer while raising funds for a worthy cause,” explained food writer Melody Kettle, the Festival’s founder and executive director.

The two-evening event will begin with a “Grand Tasting” featuring samplings from many of New Jersey’s best restaurants, and wines coordinated by Gary's Wine & Marketplace.  The second night will be a gala dinner, for which six of Montclair’s premier chefs will collaborate on a multi-course menu paired with wines selected by sommelier Sharon Sevrens of Amanti Vino.  Funds raised at the event will benefit the Center for Pediatric Feeding & Swallowing at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Paterson.  The Festival will also establish a scholarship fund to enable youths from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue an education in the culinary arts.

“We’re grateful to have the support of the Investors Foundation, and that of all our partners, sponsors, and volunteers,” said Kettle.

“We applaud the many people who are contributing their time and talents to this important cause,” added Investors Bank President and CEO Kevin Cummings.  “We look forward to what promises to be a very memorable and worthwhile event.”