Bookworm Garden's Secret Garden Dinner Series: A Magical Night of Culinary Delights
These days, "date night" for my husband and I are more like "date moments".
Sometimes it's a movie on Netflix squeezed in during the kids' nap time. Sometimes it's a late night conversation with no interruptions. Sometimes it's a post-it note on the mirror, making sure the other knows that in this crazy, hectic life, we've got each other's backs.
But sometimes...sometimes it's nice to have more than a stolen moment.
Sometimes, it becomes a necessity to carve out time to get out of the house. To experience an evening that inspires reconnecting, that nudges hand-holding and just being together.
Let's set the scene.
The evening sun is golden and bright, the sky painted in pastel strokes of summer. A warm breeze sighs against your skin, carrying the heady scent of freesia and rose blossoms. Soft music winds in-between twinkling lights strung along stone walls and looping vines.
The gentle clattering of glasses and dishes mingle with blurry laughter. You sip a seasonal cocktail that tastes like summer and sweetness. Delectable food full of earthy flavors is served among good conversation and even better company.
Hmmm...sounds like a romantic date night found in a beautiful dream, doesn't it?
But, this doesn't have to be just a wistful thought.
The Secret Garden Dinner Series from Bookworm Gardens serves up "four magical nights of culinary delights. Eat drink and be merry with us as we support the magic of Bookworm and enjoy a three-course meal inspired by the Gardens."
Each night features a local chef, paired with seasonal cocktails and live music in the gorgeous Secret Garden setting:
Wednesday, June 21, Featured Chef: Ulrich Koberstein of Sargento Foods
Wednesday, July 12, Featured Chef: Rob Hurrie of Black Pig
Wednesday, August 9, Featured Chef: Diane Trester of Wild Carrot Cuisine
Wednesday, September 13, Featured Chef To Be Determined
Imagine an enchanting evening for you and your partner, while at the same time sustaining your child's favorite garden!
Photo Credit: Bookworm Gardens Facebook Page
Bookworm Gardens is an independent non-profit. It is not a County Park or part of the UW-Sheboygan, two common misconceptions.
"While we don't charge an admission for general visitors, the Gardens are by no means free!" explains Bookworm Gardens Executive Director Elizabeth Wieland. She continues:
"We are enormously dependent on donations to fund our operating costs, which encompasses staff, programming, garden maintenance and upkeep, plus things most people don't think about like toilet paper, hand soap, electrical bills and more."
I admit, I was one of those under the impression that the county government HAD to be funding the Gardens. How else could such an incredible place uphold its creative and vibrant surroundings?! Now, I realize just how much the Gardens relies on people like us - parents whose children are lucky to have such a space!
"We keep the gates open through general donations, memberships, corporate sponsorships, grants, gift shop revenue, and revenue from special events, like the Secret Garden Dinner Series," says Wieland.
This is a chance to join in on a new fundraising opportunity to support the Gardens, while at the same time enjoying a well-deserved Date Night!
Here are 5 Incredible Reasons for Parents to Attend a Secret Garden Dinner (all included with your ticket!):
1. Incredible ambiance and gorgeous surroundings unlike anywhere else. Talk about a Date Night dream! Dinner under the evening sun among beautiful blossoms, stone and brick walls, luminescent lighting - definitely something different than a restaurant booth or a dark movie theater.
2. Exquisite cuisine prepared by a renowned local chef. Ulrich Koberstein of Sargento Foods (who also recently served as a guest judge on Food Network's Chopped), Rob Hurrie of Black Pig and Diane Trester of Wild Carrot Cuisine offer their celebrated expertise. Each chef creates a customized menu for the evening and prepares a three-course meal with delectable ingredients executed with their signature style.
3. Inspired live music performed by talented musicians. Harpist Abby Pattee, Aaron Yurk on acoustic guitar, and Bella Musik, a vocal duo of classic, easy listening, acoustic music, are some of the amazing performers highlighting the evening with their warm melodies.
4. A seasonal cocktail beverage created just for the evening. Each dinner will feature a cocktail paired with the evening's theme. The June Dinner features a Moroccan theme- when is the last time you enjoyed a Moroccan cocktail? Sip on something new!
5. Most of all, this your chance to continue the magic in your child's life at Bookworm Gardens. There's no doubt the Gardens are an enchanting destination for all who enter the gates - young and old. There is nothing quite like the Gardens anywhere in the-Tri-County area, let alone our state or region! We are enormously lucky to have the Gardens as part of our backyard, and this is our chance to carry on the magic.
Plus, raffle prizes and other surprises are part of each night!
Ready to make it a date?
Secret Garden Dinner Series Details
$75.00 per person / $300 per person for series tickets.
There are less than 50 seats available per evening, so don't miss out!
Cocktails will start at 5:30 PM with dinner at 6:30 PM.
Tickets can be purchased via phone at: 920.287.7895 Questions can be directed to info@bookwormgardens.org
Interested in a night out with another couple? Please note that our Secret Garden tables seat four, making for an intimate dining experience. Please let us know the names of other members of your party when you purchase tickets. Seating preferences will be made on a first come, first serve basis.
Pssst ------->This event is open to EVERYONE, not just couples!
And not just Parents!
Make it the night out that you want it to be! Bring friends, bring coworkers, bring your parents, bring each other, bring whoever. Come enjoy the food, the company and the evening!
Our Note: Any local product, company, organization or event featured on our blog is because we LOVE it and want to share it.
Our posts are NEVER paid endorsements, just our honest experience! We attend lots of events and visit with local community organizations, and try to feature those that we think YOU and YOUR FAMILY will love, too!
We also mind our manners and adhere to the adage: “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. That means, some things we attend may never make their way on to our site at all.
It’s our goal to help you FIND the FUN!