An incredible evening at the Crane Estate - Allison Caffrey

A big thanks to everyone who helped make Root’s Seaside Soiree at the Crane Estate such an incredible experience! We were honored to welcome 130 friends and supporters of Root to a delicious end of summer harvest dinner, prepared by Chef Aaron and the Settler team and Chef Keith and the Root team.

It was a wonderful evening celebrating Root’s work and our mission to Feed Opportunity and Community. Funds raised from the dinner will support our Culinary Training Program and food insecurity work, and the evening allowed members of the Root community to come together to break bread in a gorgeous setting and provided a great professional training opportunity for Root’s alumni employees.

The dinner also served to highlight one of the partnerships that are so critical to Root’s mission. Chef Aaron serves as a member of Root’s Chef Advisory Committee, which helps to inform and improve our culinary training curriculum; the Settler team has hosted Root trainees for externships and has hired Root alumni to join their team. This is now the third event we’ve collaborated on to raise funds and spread the word about Root’s work - not to mention Aaron’s talents and delicious food (check out his new restaurant - Bernadette - opening this fall!).

I’m extremely grateful to the The Trustees of Reservations for providing such a spectacular venue, the host committee, board, and team for planning and executing this wonderful event, and the Root supporters who purchased tickets and sponsorships that made the evening a success. Some guests who joined us have supported the organization since the beginning, and for others this was a first (and hopefully memorable!) introduction to our work.