Monday, December 30, 2013

Zingerman Chef Whips Up New Year's Eve Breakfast

Tomorrow morning, New Year's Eve, join us at Chelsea Alehouse from 9 a.m. to noon and eat a scrumptious breakfast in support of Chelsea's at-risk, school-age youth.


Feel good eating freshly sourced menu ingredients from local farms. Feel GREAT knowing that one hundred percent (100%!!!) of money raised will go toward providing daily essentials to kids in need. How so? We have an impressive number of impressive underwriters for the breakfast. Check them out below and check out what Yellow Door is dishing up tomorrow, thanks to Chef Kieron Hales of Zingerman's Corman Farms:

 
Menu Options: ($15 suggested donation/$10 student donation with ID)
  • Bubble & Squeak: Rich, scrambled eggs and Nuekes Applewood Smoked Bacon
  • Eggy Crumpets & Smoked Loch Duart House Smoked Salmon and sour cream
  • Heirloom Roasted Tomato Bread Pudding & Rich, Scrambled Eggs (gluten-free available)

Refreshments:
  • Fresh Zingerman's Roundhouse orange juice
  • English Breakfast tea from Harvard Square
  • Zingerman's Roadhouse Joe Coffee
Sources:
 
  • Eggs -- collected from Homer farm
  • Vegetables -- Cornman Farms
  • Cream -- Calder Dairy
  • Flour -- Westwind Milling Company
  • Salmon -- cured and smoked at Cornman Farms
  • Crumpets -- made with Michigan wheat bread from Zingerman's Roadhouse
Meet our super AMAZING sponsors:

Chris & Aubrey Martinson - Chelsea Alehouse (in kind sponsors) / Larry & Stephanie Doll   / Mack Ruffin & Kathy Carter / Torrance Learning / Mark & Pam Powell / ExcellenceQuest, LLC / Cobra Aero / Rick Taylor - Reinhart / Moore Pediatrics & Associates / Surface Dynamics USA / Dr. Jim Duncan - Family Health Center Chiropractic / Zingerman's Cornman Farms / Jeff Klink - Klink & Associates


Monday, December 16, 2013

Buy two knits (one @ 1/2 off) and one goes to a child in need of cozy gear



Need a gift for the holiday season? Get cozy knits at Global Marketplace. Buy a scarf, hat or pair of gloves for a family member or friend and get a second one for 50% off. Local Business Owner Kevin Frahm of Global Marketplace will deliver your second purchase to Yellow Door to donate it to a child in need of cozy cold-weather gear. And... unemployed global artisans get a dignified wage. Cool, eh?

Kids' School Needs Add Up

I have two children -- a nine year old and a 17 year old.  While I consider myself a 'starving' artist (I'm a writer after all), I'm blessed with a husband who is celebrating 21 years with a successful automotive supplier. We may moan a bit (sometimes a lot) when our girls need new boots, gloves, jeans, pants, notebooks and other school supplies. (All needed this year.) Plus, this year, we had to order senior photographs, a high school yearbook, cap and gown, and pay for multiple college admission fees (as well as testing fees). Christmas presents and 18th birthday presents (just 12 days after Christmas) wrap up the school year... THUS FAR. It adds up!

Please, please, please help Chelsea's 30-to-40 at-risk kids. Many cannot afford hygiene items, clothes that fit well, boots, gloves, coats, backpacks and essential meals. Caps and gowns and yearbooks are luxury items. Christmas presents and school fields... a dream.

Join us at Yellow Door @ Chelsea Alehouse.
December 31. 9 a.m. to Noon.

Thanks to our amazing list of sponsors (see post below), your donation at the door will aid Chelsea's At-Risk Kids.

Trust me, you'll have fun and LOVE the fresh tastiness of the locally sourced entree choices.

Friday, December 13, 2013

December 31 YD to Aid At-Risk Youth

Roughly 30 to 40 students in the Chelsea School District are considered 'at-risk' kids. They're in need of such essentials as toothpaste, deodorant, meals, backpacks, winter gear and, for seniors, caps and gowns. Beyond this, they need financial support to attend school field trips, such as the 8th grade Washington D.C. trip.

Wind down your year at Yellow Door with a delicious, freshly prepared breakfast. Together, we can fill the school district's coffers to aid Chelsea-area students in need.

Read the article posted on Chelsea Update to learn more.


Yellow Door New Year's Eve @ Chelsea Alehouse

{Aaaah... delicious entree choices}

December 31, 9:00 a.m. to Noon

*
$15 per adult donation requested
*$10 special CHS student plate (bring ID) for high schoolers to show their support
*$5 wee child plate



Thank you to our amazing sponsors, who help underwrite food costs:

Chris and Aubrey Martinson of Chelsea Alehouse (in-kind)
Moore Pediatrics and Associates
Mark and Pam Powell
Cobra Aero
Mark Ruffin and Kathy Carter
Anne Williams/CEO Excellence Quest
Torrance Learning
Rick Taylor/Reinhart Realtor

Larry and Stephanie Doll


Yellow Door Volunteers & CHS Seniors Julia & Madisen
Plus, thank you to CHS seniors Julia Porter and Madisen Powell who are rounding up a group of excited CHS volunteers to work the breakfast.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Meet and Eat at Chelsea Alehouse this Saturday

Meet at Chelsea Alehouse this Saturday, November 23, from 9 a.m. to Noon. You'll enjoy fresh deliciousness and the camaraderie of Chelsea-area folks. Yellow Door volunteer chefs are whipping up the following brunch options:

* Michigan Smoked Trout Benedict served with O'Brien Potatoes and spinach salad

* Ryan's Breakfast Sausage Casserole served with O'Brien Potatoes and spinach salad

* Pumpkin-spice Pancakes with Cranberry Orange Maple Syrup served with O'Brien Potatoes and pork sausage


{Local foods supplied by Tantre Farm, Ernst Farm, Back Forty Acres, Calder Dairy, Mighty Good Coffee, Westwind Milling, Kelly Farm, Dexter Bakery, Chelsea Alehouse and Michigan Trout.}


Your breakfast donation of $15 (or more...) benefits the Chelsea Community Kitchen, an educational resource devoted to developing and growing the sustainable food culture in the region.  

{A super HUGE thank you to Kathy Carter and Moore Pediatrics for co-sponsoring this breakfast.}  
 
More good news: Chelsea Alehouse is featuring a special libation called Bloody Beers. This concoction is made with McClure's Bloody Mary mix and the Alehouse's Silo White brew. Please note that this drink and all brews are extra (not included in the breakfast donation); however, the Alehouse is donating 10% of beer purchases all day to Yellow Door. Yay!






Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Yellow Doors to Benefit CCK and At-Risk Youth

So happy to share the news that Yellow Door is hosting two breakfast events. The first, November 23, will benefit the Chelsea Community Kitchen. The second, our traditional New Year's Eve gathering, will benefit the emergency fund for at-risk students in grades Pre-K through 12th grade in the Chelsea area.

Mark your calendar now and plan to join us on November 23 and December 31:


 Yellow Door
9 a.m. to Noon
Chelsea Alehouse




Menu planning is underway and will, as always, feature the best ingredients of the season from regional farmers and producers. You know it will be good, so plan on attending these community gatherings and support worthy initiatives.


More details to follow once the menu is determined.

Sponsorship Opportunities

In the meantime, we're seeking underwriters for these two events at $250 for partial sponsorship or $750 for underwriting an entire event. See your name in lights -- well, rather, on large displays, in emails and here. Your goodwill will go a long way to help bring the community together to raise funds for Chelsea Community Kitchen and at-risk students. Contact Janice if you'd love to be a sponsor.


Chefs, marketing pros, food prep and servers have already committed their time. More volunteers are needed for various duties. Get in touch via facebook/yellowdoor to volunteer.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Make the Discovery Center trails your happy place

One of the big selling points to relocating to Chelsea 10 years ago was the easy access to miles and miles of woodland trails. Today, I can honestly say that the Discovery Center trails are my happy place. Every week, at least once a week, Moose (my dog) and I make the 10 minute drive to the trails and enjoy morning treks. The fresh air and solitude of these morning hikes have been vital to my healthy life outlook. We've enjoyed the trails and boardwalks through every season and every type of weather.

Family hikes (I jokingly call, "forced family fun") around the trails have also been critical to my family's outdoor connection and health. I'm hopeful that most Chelsea families have enjoyed the Discovery Center trails and programs. (For fun, attend the upcoming Maple Syrup fest on March 9 and 10.)
 

Now the Waterloo Natural History Association needs our help in replacing the boardwalks, which were first built in the 1970s. The boardwalks are rotting and, in some cases, breaking apart. Some folks have even been injured by breaking boards.


You can write a check directly to the Waterloo Natural History Association. And, you can also enjoy a delicious Yellow Door lunch on Saturday, March 2, which benefits the association and will help pay for new boardwalks so that many more generations will enjoy this regional gem.


The scoop:

* Saturday, March 2  / Noon to 2:00 p.m.

* @ Chelsea Alehouse in Clocktower Complex

* $15 or more donation / Write check directly to Waterloo Natural History Association

* Goal is to raise $5,000 with 100% of proceeds helping to pay for new boardwalks

Eat local foods this Saturday to raise funds for new Discovery Center boardwalks

~ Waterloo State Park's Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center needs new boardwalks. You can help by eating a delicious Michigan-inspired lunch this Saturday.
 

* Saturday, March 2  /  Noon to 12 p.m.
* @ Chelsea Alehouse (in Clocktower Complex in downtown Chelsea)
* $15 (or more!) donation for lunch
* Goal: Raise $5,000. Donate 100% of money to the Waterloo Natural History Association to replace boardwalks

Lunch choices:

1) Michigan Roast Beef Sammie on a Baguette with horseradish cream cheese spread 

&

2) Pulled BBQ Pork on a Challah Bun


Both sandwiches are
served with Kettle Cooked Great Lakes Potato Chips and The Brinery's turnip pickles. Beverage options included are Mighty Good Coffee and Calder Dairy Milk. (Chelsea Alehouse brews are also available for an additional cost.)

Local food sources (coordinated through Lunasa.us):
Back Forty Acres, Calder Dairy, Ernst Farm, Great Harvest Bread Company of Ann Arbor, Great Lakes Potato Chips, Greystone Creamery, La Baguette, Mighty Good Coffee, The Brinery

A big THANK YOU to the following donors: Jim & Nancy Paul, Dave & Joanne Rowe, Rick Taylor (of Reinhart Realty)