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The $1,000 Party
by Food52
• January 4, 2011
• 26 Comments
Remember when Brita won the $1,000 Grand Prize in our 8 weeks of summer fun with Whole Foods? Ever wonder what she did with her winnings? Much to our delight, she recently wrote us the following letter and shared the video below, and we got all verklempt:
"This summer I was so overjoyed to win the mozzarella contest at Food52. When I received the gift certificate for $1,000 from Whole Foods, it was clear to me that I had to celebrate it in the most extravagant way possible. It only seemed appropriate that I should throw a dinner party and share my winnings with my friends, as an homage to what Food52 is all about: cooking at home. Plus I was curious how far 1,000 bucks would go at Whole Foods.
Turns out pretty far. I came up with an indulgent menu including lobster, truffles, oysters, filet mignon, not to mention tons of exotic cheese, and was able to feed 30 of my closest friends. It was a home cook's dream come true. I want to thank you for an opportunity to fund such an affair, as well as creating an website that embraces this kind of cooking and empowers me as a home cook." - Brita
Read all about Brita's $1,000 shindig over at her blog Things I like to look at, with more photos (including one of the hulking 4-foot-long receipt!), the incredible menu, and all the fun party planning details (Brita, we're totally stealing that menu-handwritten-on-candles idea for our next dinner party). And see the winning recipe that made it all possible here.
Comments (26)
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This is so dreamy. I am utterly jealous!
what a generous and fun splurge! that menu looks unreal. i hope you had a few bucks left over for some digestive enzyme chasers : )
Looks like a blast! The video is a nice memory too! :)
What a generous way to share your good fortune! Well done! Although, I would have bought one of those La Creuset 7 1/2qt dutch ovens with some of it..uh.. to use it to cook the party food! (cough, cough...yeah I would!)
Oh dont worry I got that covered. A blue one for the fish :)
Fantastic! Happy Birthday!
Emily is a trusted source on Scandinavian Cuisine.
Awe inspiring! I'm sure I wouldn't have survived the evening without my stomach bursting from eating so much incredible food!!
What a great way to spend it Brita!
This is excellent! I am green with envy - wish I was one of your friends! Love your video - esp. the music and your mom. Thanks for sharing with all the Food52ers.
Brita -- where did you get those "eat local" plates? I am dying (DYING!) for them! They are beyond fun.
Has anyone else seen them?
Thanks! I got them at Anthropologie about a year ago.
Sweet video of a gorgeous party!
Now that's living :)
hardlikearmour is a trusted home cook.
That's amazing!
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
Possibly the best use of prize money EVER - nicely done! What a great party!!! Lotsa work, but the FUN kind!!!!
What fun! Happy Brithday!
I can't imagine how you could get close to spending $1000 without being way over or way under. Or how you could prepare so many dishes for 30 people. Or how you could be alive to clean up the next day. Congratulations!
Its true. Full disclosure: my final receipt read $1119.63. So in my attempt to really indulge I went a little over. I definitely did not carry a calculator with me down every aisle, so pretty close I'd say!
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Except of course that the total price tag of the party is what was on the Whole Foods receipt, plus whatever is owed in income tax to the feds, state and city on the winnings, because that Gift Certificate is not a gift at all, but income subject to tax.
OMW - Oh My Word. Again I love food52 - it is a forum that draws out the deep desires of homecooks, gives them room to share their unique voices and makes everyone feel welcome. What a great movement for foodies. Well done Brita!
Barbara is a trusted source on General Cooking.
How very great!
I love it! What a blast that must have been.
So very cool!! I wonderful way to cash in on your prize!
How fun! Thanks for sharing this. So nice to see all the help your mom gave, too! Very cool, indeed.
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