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Food & Drink

Hanley Foundation Hosts 2nd Annual Boca Celebrity Cookoff

The event is part of the Boca Chamber Festival Days and will kick off the 3rd Annual Brice Makris Brunch.
| Lifestyle Staff

The 2nd Annual Boca Celebrity Cookoff hosted by the Hanley Foundation is set to take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 3rd at the Waterstone Resort and Marina at 999 East Camino Real in Boca Raton. Attendees can expect a gourmet happy hour featuring appetizers, a signature cocktail and mocktail, raffles, and entertainment. 

The judge for the upcoming cookoff will be Troy McLellan, who currently serves as the president and CEO of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. Neil Saffer, Co-Founder and Principal Auctioneer of Saffer & Company will take on the role of emcee. Among the Boca celebrities competing in the cookoff are Florida State Senator and 2022 champion Tina Polsky, president and CEO of the Adolph & Rose Levis JCC Marty Haberer, Vice President & Director of Athletics at Florida Atlantic University Brian White, and CEO of Savarick Consulting Group Jan Savarick.

“With community support of the Boca Celebrity Cookoff, the funds raised will go to our Lifesaver Scholarship Program, which restores hope, reunites families and saves lives,” Rachel Pappert Docekal says, CEO of the Hanley Foundation.

Scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 10, 2023, at Boca West Country Club, the Brice Makris Brunch will be chaired by John Makris (pictured), a Hanley Foundation Board Member and Boca resident, alongside his wife, Michelle. The occasion serves as a poignant tribute to their son, Brice Makris, who tragically lost his life to a Fentanyl overdose in March 2020.

Regrettably, there has been a dramatic surge in overdose rates, and numerous individuals within our community are grappling with mental health challenges and substance abuse problems. In collaboration with the Boca Chamber and the Makris family, the Hanley Foundation is actively working to raise awareness about substance use disorders in South Palm Beach County. By utilizing the funds raised from the Boca Chamber Festival Days event and the Hanley Foundation’s Annual Brice Makris Brunch, the foundation aims to expand its prevention initiatives, intervening before substance use disorders take hold, and also establish scholarship programs to assist those unable to bear the financial burden of recovery.

Celebrity Cookoff sponsors include Waterstone Resort & Marina, Allegiance Home Health, Sipe Spine & Sport, The Nathanson Mortgage Team and Andee Media. Tickets are $25 in advance and $40 at the door. Call 561-268-2355 or email [email protected] for more information.

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