Brandi Perrine, general manager of Salar, said the idea to host a charity dinner was the brainchild of Chef Margot Blondet and her husband, Daniel Meza-Cuadra.
She said Blondet felt terrible about what had happened and wanted to see how she could use her talents and strengths to help.
“It was something that was affecting people in our community emotionally and we have the ability to do something big and make some money and send it over to where people need it,” Perrine said.
Salar is partnering with the Ahiska Turkish Community Center to support the communities affected by the earthquakes. The center is running a volunteer community kitchen in Iskanderun, Hatay, a Turkish town that has been severely impacted.
According to Islom Shakhbandarov, founder of the Ahiska Center in Dayton, it costs approximately $5 to feed one person daily. The kitchen feeds 500 people three meals each day and hopes to raise enough supplies to increase its capacity to 2,000 people a day.
Tickets for the charity dinner are $139. The dinner will feature members of the local Turkish community serving as guest chefs and preparing authentic Turkish dishes.
“All of the proceeds are going to help these foodbanks that are feeding all of these people over there right now,” Perrine said. “Whoever can help us help them, we would love it.”
In related news, Meza-Cuadra hosted a boxing exhibition with the Ahiska Center in Dayton on Feb. 19 with proceeds going to aid Turkish earthquake victims.
For more information about the dinner or to purchase a ticket, visit www.salarrestaurant.com.
Salar is located at 400 E. Fifth St. Dayton.
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