Hands on in the Kitchen and the Community

September 27, 2010 – 9:10 am Posted by Katharine Moore

Filed under: Features

The generosity of Dine Originals members is impressive by any measure, but especially so when you consider that these are small business owners with lean budgets, where the profit margin for the week can easily be lost to a drain explosion or a flash fire in the hood of the stove. Investing in the community, supporting anti hunger initiatives, donating to organizations linking local farmers to improved distribution systems, cooking for fundraisers, contributing gift certificates to what I swear is an epidemic of silent auctions…these gestures of bigheartedness happen as routinely as dishwashing.

Because we believe Columbus is something to be experienced, Dine Originals partners with Experience Columbus to nudge locals to make a Columbus Day weekend tradition of exploring new spots and revisiting the institutions that enrich our region. Deep discounts are offered up by COSI, Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Food Adventures, SegAway Tours of Columbus, BalletMet, the Wexner Center for the Arts and all 51 members of Dine Originals. Utilize this website to plan your backyard adventure.

The Columbus Marathon is a weekend of inspiration ~ the tenacity and discipline of every single participating athlete contributes to a buzz throughout the city. It’s not just an event for the 15,000 runners, but a special occasion for their families, fraternity brothers, coaches, old babysitters and next door neighbors who turn out to cheer.

The Marathon is one of the top 25 largest marathons (out of more than 350 active marathons) in the United States. It has been ranked by Runner’s World as one of the top 20 marathons in the United States and by USA Today as one of the top 10 fall marathons.

With high hopes that all of the participants, visitors, vendors, and coaches have an amazing experience, more than a dozen of our members are offering Marathon specials. Nobody is going back to their hometown with a tale of “the best dinner ever at TGIThursdays” ,,,but a pumpkin risotto with apples and love at Alana’s might be a weekend highlight long remembered.

View all of the special offers here: http://www.dineoriginalscolumbus.com/columbus-marathon/

Dine Originals also partners with a number of non profit organizations throughout the year in support of their gala events. On October 29th we will be at The Celebration of Learning at the Main Library with cocktails and hors d’ oeuvres in the stacks and Irish author Colum McCann, whose newest novel, Let the Great World Spin, won the 2009 National Book Award for Fiction. On Friday, November 5, we partner with the Jazz Arts Group for One Night Only, showcasing great Columbus musicians performing distinctly American styles — with jazz, blues, funk and soul filling stages throughout the historic Lincoln Theatre. For ticket information on these events, connect here
http://foundation.columbuslibrary.org/events
http://www.jazzcolumbus.com/jazz-arts-group-presents-one-night-only/

Breaking bread with community activists, authors, athletes, visitors, donors, dancers, and arts patrons is what Dine Originals Columbus members will be doing this fall. We invite you to join us at the table!