Whether your preferred method is to nibble, sample, sip, dip or devour, you can do it all at the annual “Bites for Bytes” tasting event from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, benefiting St. Simon the Apostle Catholic School’s technology department. In its 14th year, this annual fundraiser held in the school gymnasium features the best of the best from Geist area restaurants and caterers — everything from appetizers to desserts and all that’s yummy in between.
“This is a very casual, very fun evening for the whole community,” says event organizer Angela Duggan. “We want everybody who supports our local restaurants to come out and join us. If you’ve heard about a place or a dish and haven’t tried it yet, this is a great opportunity to have a taste.”
Popular favorites include Italian cuisine from Bella Vita, rib bites from The Grill Restaurant, upscale appetizers from Casler’s Kitchen, beef tenderloin and herbed shrimp from Jonah’s Market, and shrimp and grits from The Fort Grill.
“They ran out of shrimp and grits last year,” says Duggan.
New this year is Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria. “We’re hoping they’ll do desserts since they got such a good response after they catered our Royal Extravaganza event,” notes Duggan.
Tickets for the adults-only event are $32 in advance or $35 at the door and include the opportunity to sample dishes from any or all of about 20 local eateries, plus beer, wine or soda. Tickets can be purchased online at atGeist.com.
Also on the menu: live music from local band Anna and the Kings and a “wine wall” where, for a $20 donation, people can choose from among bottles of wine ranging in value from $10 to $100, all donated by St. Simon parishioners.
“We also have a silent auction,” says Duggan. “What’s really fun, we gear our auction items toward what we call ‘priceless items,’ such as lunch with the vice principal, or a teacher will come over and read you a bedtime story — experiences that are fun and make our lives better. People really get behind that.”
In addition, guests can participate in a 50/50 drawing. Tickets are $25 apiece or five for $100. The winner can choose either the cash payout or free tuition for a year. The goal for this year’s event is to raise $25,000.
“We raised that last year, which was our banner year,” says Duggan. “So, we’d like to do that again this year. We want to buy 65 iPads.”
Last year they bought “COWs,” computers on wheels, as well as some iPads.
Knowing where the money goes makes a difference, Duggan explained. “It’s always been about our technology department, and we had good attendance in the beginning, but then it dropped; people didn’t grasp where the money was going. But once we started saying, ‘This year we want to buy this,’ everyone jumped on board — it’s tangible.”
And delicious. More than 400 people came last year.
“People have really rallied behind this,” says Duggan. “They see the value of our kids having the latest and greatest technology. Plus, it’s just a really fun, casual event with a lot of great food.”
St. Simon the Apostle church and school are at 8155 Oaklandon Road, Indianapolis, Ind. For more information, go to their Facebook page: “bites for bytes” St. Simon the Apostle’s Taste of Technology. Also, silent auction bids can be preregistered at Qtego.com.
