Two Westport Businesses Participating in Harvest Table 2013 Fundraiser to Feed the Hungry

New Covenant House of Hospitality (NCH) — the only soup kitchen serving all of lower Fairfield County – invites the community to attend its holiday fundraising event, "Harvest Table ... Sharing Abundance With Those in Need."

The event takes place Sunday, Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Italian Center (1620 Newfield Ave. in Stamford). Throughout the event, chefs and hospitality providers will be on hand to provide food samplings and ideas for seasonal entertaining at the Harvest Marketplace.

Participating vendors include:

• LaRocca's Country Market (Stamford) will whip up healthy and delicious kale smoothies and salads
• Margaret Sapir of Wave Hill Breads & Café (Norwalk) will showcase a wide array of artisan-bakery offerings
• Pottery Barn (Westport) will showcase table décor for setting a beautiful holiday table and provide styling tips for Thanksgiving.
• Nicole Peranick of With Love from the Cupboard (Westport) will feature samples of pastries.
• Sabita of Sabita's Holistic Center (Southport) will provide an array of wellness teas
• Sharon Sweeney (Greenwich) will showcase an array of cappuccino and espresso drinks
• Café Oo La La (Stamford) will serve crunchy grilled French toast, pure maple syrup and fall fruit compote

Additionally, a silent auction will allow guests to get a jump start on holiday shopping. Offerings at the Holiday Sideboard will include gift certificates to area restaurants, spas, and other service providers in the lower Fairfield County area. An on-site raffle will offer guests a chance to win a sunset sail that includes a cocktail party for four atop a luxurious yacht.

Following a holiday-themed lunch, Harvest Table guests will hear from returning guest speaker Linda Kavanagh of MaxEx Public Relations (Stamford), who will introduce a panel featuring three owners of specialty businesses. Rosemary Cass is president of Rosy Prose, LLC Publications (Fairfield) and creator and publisher of Act Two, a lifestyle magazine for people who are "Living the Second Half of Life." The publication debuted in Sept. 2012. Also speaking will be Marina Marchese, honey sommelier, author, beekeeper, and founder of Red Bee Honey (Weston) and Jackie Ekholm, founder and owner of Moo Chocolates (Cos Cob). Both are living their "second act."

During a former career as an international designer, Marchese visited a neighbor's apiary where her first taste of fresh honey from the beehive would change the course of her life. She quit her job, built a beehive, acquired Italian honeybees and became a beekeeper. She has shared her inspirational journey in her international bestselling book "Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper" and the groundbreaking concept of tasting and pairing honey in her recent book. Red Bee Apiary has been featured on ABC-TV's The Chew, The Martha Stewart Blog, and profiled in Williams Sonoma's Meet the Maker.

Ekholm spent a large portion of her career as a brand manager for the Geneva office of Proctor and Gamble before launching Moo Chocolates, a company specializing in high-end, organic all-natural chocolates. She has spent the last four years building her brand and stocking her chocolates on the shelves of Whole Foods, Wegman's, and other specialty and natural food shops.

Admission to the event is $50 per person and the donation of one nonperishable food item to help stock the shelves of the NCH Food Pantry. For more information and to register for this event, visit nchstamford.org or call Betsy Lopez at (203) 964-8228, Extension 2.