Society Cafe among 100 restaurants cooking up recipes for food bank

Kim Canteenwalla, executive chef of Society Cafe at Encore, spends his life around food. But until a few years ago he didn't know much about hunger.

When Three Square food bank was being constructed in 2009, Canteenwalla said, he was asked to assist.

"Quite honestly, I never really understood how much need there was in Las Vegas for this," he said. "You get caught up in the Strip and all of the buildings around you and getting any (food) product you want at any time.

"I didn't realize that there was such a need for kids out there -- and beyond kids. And then the economy crashed and it became even bigger and more needed."

Canteenwalla said he liked what he saw at Three Square and began volunteering, joined by employees of his restaurant and some of Wynn/Encore clubs. And, as a longtime participant in the annual Restaurant Week benefit for the food bank, he also has been planning menus for the first Spring Restaurant Week, which runs from Monday through March 4. The three-course lunch at Society Cafe Encore, priced at $20.12, will include an entree choice of a rock-shrimp and vegetable salad with miso and yuzu dressing, a grilled chicken salad, a turkey burger with jalapeno-cranberry relish or a grilled ham and cheese.

Canteenwalla said he likes the idea of a Restaurant Week in the spring, because during the 5-year-old one in late summer/early fall, a lot of locals are out of town.

"This makes a lot more sense, to do it twice," he said.

Erica Thompson, director of corporate giving for Three Square, said the support from the culinary community inspired the addition of a second week, which echoes similar events in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The event is a major fundraiser for Three Square, she said, raising more than $500,000 in the past five years.

Here's how it works: Restaurants create menus, priced at $20.12, $30.12 or $50.12, for lunch and/or dinner, and the food bank gets a fixed amount for each menu sold. The public benefits by getting to try a new or favorite restaurant at a lower price than they normally would pay, helping the food bank in the process. The restaurants benefit by bringing in new customers -- who may become repeat customers -- while helping the food bank. And the food bank gets to help more hungry people and raise community awareness.

"It's amazing when you're out in the community and doing a presentation, or someone's doing a tour, and you hear, 'I heard of your organization because of Restaurant Week,' " Thompson said.

Customers are given a card with information about the food bank. Often, she added, that contact evolves into the customer volunteering or making a financial contribution.

People from various parts of the country specifically time their trips to Las Vegas to coincide with Restaurant Week, Thompson noted.

Financial contributions from next week's event will be even greater than usual . The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has pledged $5 million toward the food bank, with $3 million designated as matching funds, through April 30.

"So for every $1 we receive, that will equal six meals," she said.

She said the goal for the first spring event was 50 restaurants. By last week, 100 had committed, 25 of which had never participated before.

For a list of participating restaurants, their menus and prices, visit www.ThreeSquare.org.

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@review journal.com or 702-383-0474.