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The Guilford County Hotel/Motel Association has presented a donation of $12,015.70 to Greensboro Urban Ministry and the GTCC Culinary Program.

The funds were raised during the association's annual benefit Taste, which was held June 15.

Nearly 500 people attended the event, which featured 20 food vendors and live and silent auctions.

Over the past decade, GCHMA has donated more than $187,000 to charities, including Victory Junction Gang, the Natural Science Center of Greensboro, the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Make-A-Wish and the Eastern Music Festival.

Famed chef coming

On Sept. 24, renowned chef Alice Waters will be in town to break ground for an Edible Schoolyard at the Greensboro Children's Museum.

Waters and the Chez Panisse Foundation have designated the museum as the first museum in the country to implement their public education program, the Edible Schoolyard.

Waters is a chef, author and proprietor of the celebrated Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, Calif. In 1995, she created an Edible Schoolyard at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley to integrate gardening and cooking into the academic curriculum. Since then, two other Edible Schoolyard programs have been created.

The groundbreaking is scheduled for 4 p.m. Admission is free with museum admission of $6 for adults and children, $5 for seniors.

Coffee and smoothies

Beans and Creme (5315-F Liberty Road, Greensboro; 674-4008) is serving coffee drinks and smoothies at Forest Oaks Commons.

Breakfast Blend, French Roast and Colombian are the coffees ($1.25-$2.05) available, and specialty drinks include Caramel Macchiato, Mocha and White Mocha ($4.25 and $4.75).

Teas ($1.75 and $2.25) range from black to Salada and can be ordered latte style ($3.75 and $4.25).

Beans and Creme offers nonfat smoothies such as banana, berry and orange. The shop also offers Homeland Creamery ice cream by the scoop or in milkshakes, banana splits and sundaes.

The shop has table and sofa seating and Wifi.

Hours are 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.- 9 p.m. Saturday.

Brunch returns

The Madison Park Cafe (1310 Westover Terrace, No. 107, Greensboro) is again offering Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The menu includes items such as Cold Water Maine Mussels steamed in white wine ($10), Veal Sweetbreads ($10), Salad Nicoise ($10), Eggs ($10) or Crab Cake Benedict ($12), a Seafood Omelette ($12) and Poulet Pot Pie Crepes ($9).

Call 275-3755 for reservations.

High Point restaurants benefit from university

High Point University is helping out High Point restaurants through its Passport Partners program.

The program is a partnership between High Point University and local businesses in which university faculty, staff and students use Passport cards to dine at more than a dozen restaurants, including Austin's Grill, Carolina Diner, Ham's and Giannos.

Students got a chance to see all of the participating restaurants during a bus tour the first week of school.

Kitchenware sidewalk sale

The Extra Ingredient (801-D Friendly Center Road, Greensboro), a gourmet kitchenware and food store at Friendly Center, is holding a sidewalk sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call the store at 299-9767 or visit www.extraingredient.com.

Funds for St. Jude hospital

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and Chili's Grill and Bar is raising funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Through Sept. 30, diners can purchase a Create-A-Pepper T-shirt or custom key to benefit St. Jude. Or make a donation and get a Create-A-Pepper coloring sheet to decorate and display in the restaurant.

On Sept. 28, Chili's will donate all profits to St. Jude.

To donate online, visit www.createapepper.com.

Chili's are located at 3024 High Point Road and 1599 New Garden Road in Greensboro, 920 Mall Loop Road in High Point and 1445 University Drive in Burlington.

Meal deal for two

Fatz Cafe (619 S. Regional Road, Greensboro; 841-0081) is offering a Party of Two meal deal.

For $20, two diners share an appetizer and get two entrees from a choice of eight selections that include items such as Beef Medallions, Citrus Catch or Chicken Parmesan.

For a menu, visit www.fatzcafe.com.

Hand-tossed pizza added

Donatos Pizza is now offering hand-tossed crust for its signature thin and thick crust pizzas.

Locations are at 411-B Pisgah Church Road (282-3381) in Greensboro and 1183 University Drive (584-1399) in Elon. Both locations offer curb service. For a menu, visit www.donatos.com.

New menu, specials

Starting next week, Beef O'Brady's (3606 N. Elm St., Greensboro; 288-6585) is offering a new menu with items such as corn dogs, Smokin' Jack Sliders and dinner entrees such as sirloin steak, roast beef and chicken.

The restaurant is also offering a happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. daily with 59-cent wings, $1.50 sliders and $2.75 chips and salsa. With 20 televisions and 10 games airing at once, grab a seat and chow.

Contact Carl Wilson at 373-7145 or carl.wilson@news-record.com