Staff Report
Pink-colored snacks, sweets, specialty desserts and drinks will be showcased in the Chumash Casino Resort’s eateries as the resort kicked off its annual Project Pink campaign on Thursday, Oct. 1, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Talented chefs from the resort’s Food and Beverage Department have prepared a host of offerings that are intended to raise both awareness and funds for a local nonprofit organization. A portion of this year’s proceeds will be donated, along with a dollar-for-dollar matching grant from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, to Mission Hope Cancer Center, which is supported by the Marian Regional Medical Center Foundation.
“Each year, our Food and Beverage team rises to the occasion both in the preparation and execution of its Project Pink campaign,” said Kenneth Kahn, tribal chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “I know our team members are excited to share their pink creations with our guests and raise funds for a great cause.”
The special pink items will be featured throughout the Chumash Casino Resort, including the Grains & Grounds sandwich shop, the Center Bar and Willows, the resort’s AAA Four Diamond-rated restaurant.
Highlights from this year’s Project Pink campaign include a raspberry lime cake, strawberry shortcake, rosewater pistachio cake, a Fruity Pebble fruit tart, chocolate raspberry cake, almond cherry cake, and chocolate molds of a pink high-heel shoe, a pink flat shoe and a pink purse, which comes with its own wooden mallet that can be used to reveal the 15 truffles hidden within.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual campaign to raise awareness of breast cancer risks, the value of screening and early detection, while also raising funds for cancer research.
“When it comes to cancer, early detection is key,” said Robert Dichmann, M.D., medical director of the Marian Cancer Program. “Patients with breast cancer don’t always show symptoms. This is why an annual mammogram screening is the best way to find breast changes and any signs of disease in its earliest stages — when it’s most treatable. On behalf Mission Hope Cancer Center, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Chumash Casino Resort for supporting local breast cancer patients and families in need through the annual Project Pink Campaign.”
The Mission Hope Cancer Center, located in Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande, features state-of-the art technologies and treatments for cancer care, supportive services, education and preventative care.
Located on Highway 246 in Santa Ynez, the Chumash Casino Resort is open 24/7 and is an age 21-and-older facility. For more information on menu items, visit www.chumashcasino.com/dining.
