As summer begins to wane and the first hints of autumn settle in, Cleveland's food and nature enthusiasts are gearing up for an evening when mysticism  meets philanthropy among Cleveland’s top chefs and botanical wonders.

Holden Forests and Gardens’ (HF&G) annual Harvest Moon culinary event will take place on Friday, Sept. 13 at the Cleveland Botanical Garden for an evening of gastronomic adventure, live music, and support for vital community programs.

Harvest Moon Benefit at Cleveland Botanical GardenHarvest Moon is HF&G’s biggest and only benefit of the year—supporting one of the largest public gardens in the country and acclaimed conservation and urban forestry work to save native trees in the Great Lakes region.

“It’s a chef-led event,” explains Samantha Lengel, HF&G director of corporate and foundation relations. “We have eight different chefs bringing dishes to the event. They each kind of choose a course to serve, and then they coordinate with each other to make kind of a cohesive meal for the night.”

This year's event will feature a new format, allowing guests to explore the garden's beauty while savoring exquisite dishes from seven food stations.

“We're going to have stations all over the garden, so people are able to kind of walk through the campus and really experience one of the greatest things about being a place-based nonprofit,” says Lengel. “You’re not in a hotel room. That's the most wonderful thing about this event, is that people are on the garden campus, and it's beautiful."

As guests stroll through the gardens, they will be treated to live music from the Stephanie Jimenez Band and Greening.
Some of Cleveland’s most well-known chefs will create small plates at the food stations in the gardens.  Chefs at the event include:

• Ben Bebenroth of Spice Hospitality Group
• Brandon Chrostowski of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute
• Vinnie Cimino of Cordelia
• Doug Katz of Amba
• Laurie Torres of Mallorca
• Brandy Schran of Marigold Catering
• Tawana Scott-Williams of PearlFlower Catering
• Eric Wells of Skye LaRae’s Culinary Services

Harvest Moon Benefit at Cleveland Botanical GardenAfterparty

For the first time, organizers are planning a new afterparty, Harvest Moon After Dark at 9 p.m. The extended evening of bewitchment and musings in the Botanical Garden’s iconic glasshouses will feature dancing to the upbeat mixes of DJ NicNacc, along with an out-of-this-world dessert station and an open bar with enticing beverages. There will even tarot card readers on hand, as a nod to the event's Friday the 13th date.

Harvest Moon After Dark is included in the regular ticket price, or tickets can be purchased separately.

Supporting the cause

Harvest Moon is more than just a night of food and fun. As the primary fundraiser for HF&G, the event supports crucial programs like Green Corps—a program to inspire local teens to explore careers like horticulture, forest preservation, ecology, and other paths in green industries.

“The fundraising event supports our general operating budget, but that includes all of our programming,’ Lengel explains. “Green Corps has been around for 25 years. It started as an urban agriculture program, and the kids would grow food on farms around the city.”

Today, Green Corps has evolved into a paid internship program—exposing high school students to green jobs and providing valuable workforce development skills. “This is an early step in building the green jobs pipeline,” Lengel notes. “Sometimes you don't even know the job exists.”

Tickets

The Harvest Moon man event runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (VIP access begins at 5 p.m.), with the after party running from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Blvd, Cleveland, 44106.

Tickets to the Holden Forests and Gardens Harvest Moon culinary event range from $220 or an individual ticket or $1,000 for two VIP tickets. Sponsorships start at $2,500. Tickets to Harvest Moon After Dark are $50 each. Tickets are on sale until Friday, Aug. 30.