Photos: Eagan Community Foundation
The Eagan Community Foundation creates an inclusive international food-tasting fundraiser.
World flavors that highlight local culture are on the menu at the Eagan Community Foundation’s second-ever International Evening of Eagan this month.
The event showcases international cuisine from local restaurants, as well as a silent auction, raffles and a variety of international activities. Last year, guests had a chance to learn Latin dance, create Ukrainian head wreaths, make worry dolls and apply henna designs. “You walk in the door, and it’s food, and the energy in the room is amazing,” says Sally O’Keefe, Eagan Community Foundation fundraiser chair.
The evening is designed to highlight the wide depth and breadth of world cultures in Eagan while also raising money for the community foundation. Formed in 1990 with the vision of making Eagan a better place to live, learn, work and play, the foundation provides community connections and grants, as well as a scholarship program that awards approximately $135,000 each year to local students.
In years past, the foundation’s biggest fundraiser was a golf tournament. It has also hosted multiple tastings, festivals and galas. COVID-19, punctuated by the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, gave the foundation pause. “We looked at what we were doing for a fundraiser and wondered how we could change it to make it more inclusive,” O’Keefe says. “It’s how we went from a gala to a gathering.”
The food was the star of the show, and it more than lived up to its billing. “The food was outstanding,” O’Keefe says. “Participants raved about it.”
Last year’s event featured 10 culinary sponsors, and 15 culinary sponsors are expected to participate in this year’s event, including Andiamo Italian Ristorante, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Eagan Arms Public House, Hy-Vee, India Bazaar, Kitchen and Rail, Lost Spur Golf and Event Center, Mediterranean Cruise Cafe and Naf Naf Middle Eastern Grill. Last year, some 200 guests attended. This year’s goal is to double that.
“We’re raising money and connecting with all the corners of our community,” says Jamie Hopkins, the foundation’s executive director. “As a foundation, the goal is to do good, to do good for the community and to do good to the community.”
Tickets to the International Evening of Eagan are $60. The event is from 5:30–9 p.m. November 14 at Lost Spur Golf and Event Center, 2750 Sibley Memorial Highway, Eagan; 651.243.1198; eaganfoundation.org
