Make-A-Wish Southern Florida's restaurant fundraiser brings nine Tampa Bay kitchens, an open bar and a speakeasy theme to The Gathering at Armature Works, with every dollar going to wishes for critically ill children.
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida will hold the 30th annual Dishes & Wishes on Friday, Oct. 16, at The Gathering at Armature Works in Tampa. The evening runs from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and pairs restaurant tastings with an open bar, live music and auctions, according to the charity's event page. Monin Gourmet Flavorings is the presenting sponsor.
This year's edition takes a speakeasy theme, according to the City of Tampa's event listing. The event site lists nine featured restaurants: Eddie V's Prime Seafood, Timpano, The Sapphire, The Pearl, O-Ku, The Dan, Howard & Platt, Steelbach and Valentino. The Dan, inside Hotel Flor Tampa Downtown, already builds its room around the Roaring Twenties. Valentino, an Italian restaurant styled on the Amalfi Coast, comes over from Clearwater.
The drinks list runs to four names. Baileys pours its Irish cream, and Love, Tito's, the charitable arm of Tito's Handmade Vodka, joins Heaven Hill Distillery, the family-owned bourbon maker in business since 1935. Maru, a rooftop cocktail bar that pairs Peruvian pisco with Japanese technique, rounds out the bar.
Last year's edition drew more than 350 guests and featured live music from The Spazmatics. The night paid for 30 wishes for children across Tampa Bay, according to the event site, roughly one wish for every dozen guests. All proceeds go to Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, which grants wishes to children with critical illnesses.
Tickets are $150 and require registration in advance, per the city listing; sales run through the event site. Sponsorships range from a $3,000 Friend level to the $32,000 presenting package, according to the organizers' sponsorship deck, which asks sponsors to pay in full by Oct. 1. The charity is still collecting items for its silent and live auctions.
