Chefs plate a course at the OSF HealthCare Foundation Heart of Gold dinner in 2024. This year's event will be Thursday, Oct. 23, in the newly expanded ballroom at the Island Resort & Casino Convention Center in Harris. (Contributed photo)

ESCANABA — The 26th-annual OSF HealthCare Foundation Heart of Gold dinner will be Thursday, Oct. 23, in the newly expanded ballroom at the Island Resort & Casino Convention Center in Harris.

The event will begin with cocktails at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner at 6:30 p.m. that will feature seven courses prepared by chefs from across the Upper Peninsula – all members of the Upper Michigan Chapter of the American Culinary Federation. The menu for each year’s dinner remains a surprise and is unveiled at the start of the evening.

“The Heart of Gold Dinner is one of the events our chapter looks forward to every year. Every one of us volunteers our time from our own places of employment to help. Over the years it has also become a highlight for the Hospitality Management students from NMU. They get to see how a large, course meal is plated and served. This is a fun event for all of us,” said Eric Juchemich, board chair of the Upper Michigan Chapter of the American Culinary Federation.

“The dinner is a culinary experience unlike any other in our community,” said Jean Arvan, director of philanthropy at OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group. “Chefs present each course and share with guests how the course was prepared and why it was chosen. The dinner also features a selection of fine wines chosen specifically to complement the courses.”

Proceeds from the dinner benefit OSF St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group and support areas of greatest need. In past years, this has included the purchase of new medical equipment, renovations for patient comfort and the recently opened Daniel J. Kobasic Cancer Clinic. More than $14 million has been donated to date.

Reservations are required for the Heart of Gold dinner and seating is limited. For more information or to make a reservation, contact the OSF HealthCare Foundation office at 906-786-5707, ext. 5516, or go to www.osfhealthcarefoundation.org/heart-of-gold. Tickets are $150 each.

OSF HealthCare OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis. Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, OSF HealthCare has 17 hospitals – 11 acute care, five critical access, one continuing care – with 2,305 licensed beds throughout Illinois and Michigan. OSF employs more than 26,000 across 160-plus locations and includes OSF OnCall, the digital health operating entity that offers a hospital-at-home. Sites include OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois, the third-largest pediatric hospital in Illinois. In addition, OSF has two colleges of nursing; operates OSF Home Care Services, an extensive network of home health and hospice services; owns Pointcore Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups. More information is available at osfhealthcare.org.