Luther Burbank Center For The Arts' Annual Fundraiser Returns For 16th Year

Today, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (LBC) announced that its annual benefit, The Art of Dessert, will return on Saturday, March 30, 2019 in the Center's Lytton Rancheria Grand Lobby (50 Mark West Springs Road in Santa Rosa). Now celebrating 16 sweet years, The Art of Dessert is an evening of fine dining and one-of-a-kind confections created by famed North Bay pastry artists. Desserts will be judged by a panel of local celebrities and will double as artistic table centerpieces and the delectable final course. The evening will also honor 2019 Arts Benefactors of the Year Sherry and Pete Swayne for their generous support and outstanding leadership.

Proceeds raised through the evening's silent, wine, and live auctions benefit LBC's Education and Community Engagement programs, which include educational matinees; free summer camps for music, visual arts, drama, and dance; a free after school Mariachi Ensemble; musical instruments loaned free of charge to children who cannot afford to rent or buy them; free and discounted tickets to educational matinees for low-income and at-risk children with subsidies for student transportation; teaching artists in local classrooms for arts instruction aligned with core curriculum; a free third grade literacy program for underserved students; and professional development courses for teachers and teaching artists. Since its inception in 2003, the Art of Dessert has generated more than $3.6 million and helped LBC to provide the enrichment of the arts to almost 500,000 children.

Celebrity-hosted tables will return this year, allowing guests to experience the evening with engaging and dynamic celebrities who not only have knowledge and insight of the food scene, but also share enthusiasm for the arts and education programs at LBC. The celebrity hosts include master chef and hospitality entrepreneur Charlie Palmer, popular Sonoma County executive chef and James Beard Award finalist Mark Stark of Stark Reality Restaurants, chief fork of Press Democrat's Bite Club Heather Irwin, and Sonoma County native and restauranteur Dustin Valette.

The elegant evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail and hors d'ouevres reception on the Marcia and Gary Nelson Family Grand Plaza featuring silent and wine auctions. At 7 p.m. guests will be treated to a lavish dinner in the Lytton Rancheria Grand Lobby provided by Pacific Connection Catering and featuring wines from Rodney Strong Vineyards, a performance by the LBC Mariachi Ensemble, and a live auction featuring unique local experiences and travel packages, including a helicopter ride to a winery, dinner in Stark's Steakhouse private cellar, court-side seats at a Warriors game, and more. The evening culminates at 8:30 p.m. when guests indulge in the one-of-a-kind cakes adorning each table.

Single tickets for the event are $250, with table purchases available for $2,000. Celebrity hosted tables are $5,000, with individual seats available for $625. For more information please email dev@lutherburbankcenter.org.