SOMA Living May 2022

BATTLE OF THE CHEFS A Jespy House Benefit – An evening of food, fun, and support will be on the menu on Thursday, June 23, 2022 at Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange, NJ as JESPY holds its annual fundraising event – which this year is titled Battle of the Chefs: A Benefit for JESPY House. Starting at 6pm, the event will raise essential funds to support JESPY clients, while honoring The Cottingham Family, The Oppenheimer Family, and The Plotnick Family (shown right). JESPY assists 260 adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities through a variety of support services. While actively participating at JESPY, the client honorees have grown exponentially as part of the Day Habilitation Program; found increased independence while living in JESPY shared housing; and developed important life skills through JESPY’s Community-Based Supports Program. “We are excited to highlight and share the growth of these clients and their supportive families,” said JESPY Executive Director Audrey Winkler. “Their growth is indicative of how our wide array of support services have helped all our clients in various aspects of their lives.”

Chef Tony Villanueva, a seasoned chef with decades of diverse culinary experiences, has been the Executive Chef at Edgewood Country Club in River Vale since 2015. In 2020, he was promoted to WS Hospitality Group Executive Chef at Edgewood Country Club. The Battle of the Chefs event will also include a silent auction that will feature everything from floral and restaurant gift certificates to one-of-a-kind art items. Bidding starts on June 13th at 12pm, and the auction closes on June 24th at 12 pm with auction items going to the highest bidder. Proceeds from the Silent Auction support JESPY’s whole-life programs and services. To RSVP to the event, log onto www.djespyhouse. org/Battle-of-the-Chefs. For additional information, call (973) 762-6909 ext. 313 or email events@ jespy.org. JESPY’s programs provide support in the areas of clinical & behavioral health, residential options, athletics & fitness, recreation, daily living skills, and employment. JESPY’s mission is to help its clients, who are age 18 and older, to live full and independent lives. Learn more at www.jespy.org.

In addition to honoring three JESPY families, the Battle of the Chefs event will feature Chef Tony Villanueva and Chef Ivan Villanueva, who Tony began mentoring more than 15 years ago. The two will now come together, but this time for a head-to head competition to see who will be JESPY’s ‘Battle of the Chefs’ winner! Although the chefs share the same last name, they are not related. They are, however, connected in other ways. Chef Ivan Villanueva was named the Executive Chef at Orange Lawn Tennis Club in 2020. Prior to that, he was Executive Chef at the Edgewood Country Club in River Vale, N.J., having started his career as Executive Sous Chef under the guidance of Chef Tony Villanueva in 2010.

MAY 2022 | SOMA LIVING 19

@somalivingmagazine