Staff Report
The Chumash Casino Resort is preparing to once again launch its annual Project Pink campaign, showcasing pink-colored snacks, sweets, specialty desserts and drinks in its eateries throughout October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Beginning Friday, October 1, the expertly crafted creations of resort’s talented Food and Beverage Department will be on display in an effort to raise both awareness and funds for a local nonprofit organization. For the second year in a row, a portion of proceeds, along with a dollar-for-dollar matching grant from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, will be donated to Mission Hope Cancer Center, which is supported by the Marian Regional Medical Center Foundation.
“It’s time, once again, for our Food and Beverage Department to shine for a worthy cause,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “Our chefs put months of planning and preparation into our annual Project Pink campaign, and their dedication can be seen in every pink-colored creation that’s featured throughout the property.”
The newest items making their debuts on October 1 in the resort’s Grains & Grounds dessert case for this year’s campaign will be:
· Cherry Chocolate Cake – a Devil’s food cake featuring cherry compote and a dark chocolate mousse. ($10)
· Raspberry Almond Tart – a tart shell filled with almond cream and raspberry sauce, topped with raspberry mouse and fresh raspberries. ($18)
· Strawberry Vanilla Cake – while it looks like a giant doughnut with pink frosting and sprinkles, it’s a citrus pound cake with a strawberry jelly and vanilla bean mousse center. ($25)
· White Chocolate Elderflower Cake – shaped in the form of a blooming rose, this creation has a center filled with elderflower jelly and white chocolate mousse. ($5)
· Fruity Pebble Clusters – a morning cereal favorite is combined with brown sugar streusel, toasted almonds and freeze-dried strawberries, then mixed with white chocolate and strawberry chocolate to form a cluster that will delight any fan of Fruity Pebbles. ($5)
These standouts will join the resort’s familiar Project Pink lineup of pink Mexican conchas, whoopie pies, shortbread cookies, cake pops, the popular dark chocolate molds of high heel shoes, flat shoes and purses, and much more.
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.
“This past year taught us a lot about resiliency, and watching our local breast cancer patients at Mission Hope Cancer Center bravely face a cancer diagnosis in the midst of a pandemic was nothing short of extraordinary,” shares Dr. Colleen O’Kelly Priddy, breast surgeon, Marian Cancer Care. “Our organization is grateful to the Chumash Casino Resort for again supporting local breast cancer patients in a significant way as event proceeds will directly support patient assistance needs, programs and services, and the acquisition of advanced equipment and technology.”
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, California, 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.
