Some of the regional chefs who will be preparing meals for this year's Lite Bite include, kneeling, Baked Alaska's Chris Holen; seated from left, The Depot's Jamis Gisby, the Lumberyard Rotisserie's Geoff Gunn, the Bridgewater Bistro's Red Pelletier and The Depot's Michael Lalewicz; standing from left, The Bistro's Matt Dueber, Newmans at 988's John Newman, the Wayfarer Restaurant's Lisa Grillone and Will Leroux, John Sowa of Sweet Basil's Cafe and Baked Alaska's Marc Winheim.

Just in time to help victims of the latest winter storms and others in need, top chefs from 11 of our region’s most popular restaurants are teaming up once again to help raise funds for the Clatsop County Women’s Resource Center and 16 other organizations who receive and distribute financial support from United Way.

This year’s Lite Bite theme, “Journey of the Torch,” is symbolic of several notable events. “First of all, the torch represents the regional ‘Olympic’ chefs who will be serving delectable bites from around the world,” says United Way of Clatsop County Director Darlene Felkins. In addition, she says, the Olympic theme represents the passing of the torch from the Women’s Resource Center, who first developed the Lite Bite fundraiser, to United Way, who will now organize and manage the event. This year, all proceeds from the silent auction will go to benefit the WRC; the remainder of proceeds will be divided among 15 other UWCC recipients, who include the American Red Cross, Astoria Children’s Museum, Boy Scouts of America (Fort Clatsop District), Camp Kiwanilong and Pioneer House, among others. The torch also represents the upcoming Winter Olympics, to be held next year in Vancouver, B.C.

The mission of United Way of Clatsop County is “to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of Clatsop County communities.” Guided by volunteers, United Way raises money from local individuals and businesses. Donations are allocated to approved service providers, who help make a difference in the lives of many local residents. All funds raised by UWCC stay in local communities and provide much needed help to friends and neighbors.

During the 2008-09 United Way Campaign, three culinary events were added to the general fundraising efforts – Iron Chef Goes Coastal, the Astoria Brewfest and the upcoming ninth annual Lite Bite. Thanks to the generous donations of independent sponsors, which include various corporations and businesses, overhead costs for these events are covered. This allows individual contributions to go directly to help those in need in Clatsop County.

Beginning in February, funds raised during the 2008 campaign will be allocated and dispersed as soon as they come available. UWCC Treasurer Jennifer Holen (co-owner of Baked Alaska) and Felkins were pleased to announce at the preliminary Lite Bite meeting, that to date, they have reached 85 percent of their $275,000 goal. With the help of Lite Bite attendees, they anticipate coming even closer to reaching their goal.

On a recent stormy morning, enthusiastic Lite Bite chefs convened at Baked Alaska in Astoria to help finalize plans for the event and share notes on the dishes they will be cooking and serving on the evening of Jan. 20. Most chefs have been with the event since its inception and all volunteer their time and food. Each participating chef was asked to select dishes representative of a different country. The evening features a delicious roster of ethnic foods from around the world and an opportunity to meet and talk with top local chefs.

Get ready to light up your taste buds, have fun and donate to a very worthy cause – the diversified network of helping needy citizens through Clatsop County’s United Way.

Chris Holen, of Baked Alaska, will be hosting the Lite Bite fundraiser with his wife Jennifer and will be cooking Shabu Shabu, a Japanese hot pot dish. Chris Holen of Baked Alaska (who hosts the fundraising event each year with his wife, Jennifer), will cook Shabu Shabu, a Japanese hot pot dish, featuring thinly sliced Painted Hills beef shoulder tenderloin dipped and cooked in a wild mushroom dashi broth with a sesame dipping sauce. “I wanted this dish to be interactive,” said Holen, who will set up his station at the demonstration counter in his kitchen shop Mise en Place. “Shabu means ‘to swish,'” he explains.

Chef Matt Dueber, of The Bistro in Cannon Beach, will prepare a traditional French Bouillabaisse stew, filled with fresh local seafood. Going back to The Bistro’s French roots, Chef Matt Dueber will prepare a traditional Bouillabaisse with a spicy tomato-fish broth filled with fresh local seafood and topped with a garlicky sauce.

Chef Red Pelletier, of the Bridgwater Bistro, will prepare a Brazilian black bean stew called Fejoada. Chef Red Pelletier of the Bridgewater Bistro will prepare Fejoada, a Brazilian black bean stew made with pork and beef sausage, which simmers for hours until melting off the bone. Served over rice, the dish will be topped with a spicy salsa made with banana, orange and hearts of palm.

Chef Geoff Gunn, of the Lumberyard Rotisserie and Grill in Cannon Beach, will prepare a Cuban dish including pineapple and spice-braised pork. Continuing on the spicy theme, Chef Geoff Gunn from the Lumberyard Rotisserie and Grill will wow visitors’ taste buds with a pineapple and spice-braised pork inspired by a Cuban dish that he and his wife tasted in New York. The pork is marinated overnight in pineapple and spice, braised until meltingly tender and served with fried plantains.

Chef John Newman, of Newmans at 988 in Cannon Beach, will be serving a variety of Spanish tapas. Spain will be represented by Chef John Newman of Newmans at 988, who is also head of the culinary program at Tongue Point Job Corps Center. Inspired by his travels to Spain and the beauty of the land and abundance of local seafood and produce, he will serve a variety of Spanish tapas.

John Sowa, of Sweet Basil’s Café in Cannon Beach, will be serving a coconut-curry stew, a dish native to the tiny country of Bali. John Sowa of Sweet Basil’s Café in Cannon Beach also joined the fundraiser at the beginning, when he owned Lil’ Bayou in Seaside. This year, his inspiration came from looking for the smallest country taking part in the Olympics; it turned out to be Bali. “We are the smallest participant in this event – seating only 15 people in our tiny restaurant, so it seemed fitting,” he said. His contribution will be one of the country’s signature dishes – a coconut-curry stew made with fried tofu and eggplant, in place of traditional chicken.

Lisa Grillone and Will Leroux, of the Wayfarer Restaurant in Cannon Beach, will be offering up gelato and tapas desserts. Lisa Grillone and Will Leroux of the Wayfarer Restaurant will serve a variety of desserts, including gelato and tapas desserts.

Michael Lalewicz, of The Depot in Seaview, Wash., will be preparing Cinghiale Brasato, an Italian dish. From the Long Beach Peninsula, Michael Lalewicz of The Depot will offer an Italian dish – Cinghiale Brasato – house-made potato gnocchi tossed with a ragout of tomatoes, and braised wild boar topped with shaved Pecorino Romano cheese.

Look for Scandinavian treats from Dana Gunderson of Gunderson’s Cannery Café, who will prepare yellow pea soup, assorted pickled vegetables and a mini Scandinavian smorgasbord. “This is a really good cause,” says Gunderson, who has been involved since the beginning. “We do everything we can to help.”

England will be represented properly by The Stephanie Inn’s chefs Crystal Corbin and Aaron Bedard, with lemon curd trifle and spiced pumpkin trifle, along with an assortment of English tea cookies.

Mexico will be represented by Chef Cheri Walker of the 42nd Street Café, who will prepare “Tinga,” a dish featuring Mexican pulled pork and housemade chorizo which, according to Walker, celebrates the heritage of some of their staff. As an added benefit for this year’s event, the Astoria Downtown Trolley will transport people from the off-site parking lots at the Port of Astoria and the Columbia River Maritime Museum to Baked Alaska. Parking at Baked Alaska Restaurant, where the event is held, is limited.