Cooks for the Cure serves dinner parties

Cooks for the Cure serves dinner parties

Chef Kelly Senyei makes homemade pasta with a KitchenAid stand mixer. Photo via fb.com

What do KitchenAid, Susan G. Komen, celebrity chefs and you have in common?

An invitation to "cook for the cure” this month.

The appliance brand by Whirlpool in Benton Harbor and the breast cancer nonprofit have previously partnered with celebrity chefs — including Mario Batali, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse and others — on a Cooks for the Cure initiative to raise money to fight breast cancer.

The famed chefs helped Susan G. Komen raise money through a series of celebrity chef auctions for autographed KitchenAid products, raising more than $9.5 million.

Dinner parties

This month, KitchenAid and Susan G. Komen are extending their Cooks for a Cure initiative, asking everyday chefs to get involved in raising funds to fight breast cancer.

Between July 18-27, at-home cooks are encouraged to invite family, friends and colleagues over for a dinner party with a cause.

Dinner guests are asked to make a donation to Susan G. Komen — in lieu of bringing wine, flowers or a gift for the host.

To kick off the Cooks for a Cure partnership, KitchenAid has enlisted Martha Stewart, who will throw an invitation-only "party with a purpose.”

"Summer is a popular season for entertaining and gathering with loved ones," said Beth Robinson, senior manager of brand experience, KitchenAid. "It's also a simple way to raise awareness and support a meaningful cause that's touched so many of our lives."

Party IDs

Those interested in hosting a Cooks for the Cure party are encouraged to register online and obtain a host identification number.

Registered hosts will be given access to an information kit that includes party ideas, recipes and donation-gathering information.

Social

To help hosts connect with guests and others planning parties, KitchenAid will feature 1,000 Cooks for the Cure on its Facebook page and provide updates via its Twitter handle.

Longtime partners

In 2014, KitchenAid said it would donate $450,000 or more to Susan G. Komen through the Cooks for the Cure program.

"For 13 years, KitchenAid and cooks across America have been helping Komen in its mission to end breast cancer forever," said Dr. Judy Salerno, president and CEO, Susan G. Komen. "This partnership brings the fight against breast cancer from individuals' homes into the lives of millions facing this disease today."