Video 2: Aaron Sanchez teaches cashews and fish

Melissa Hebert

The Chronicle-Telegram

LORAIN – Fine food, good times and a Puerto Rican celebrity chef were on the menu Sunday night as Second Harvest Food Bank of North Cen­tral Ohio hosted its Generous Helpings fundraiser at its headquarters.

The event raised about $40,000 to help Sec­ond Harvest supply food to 110 agencies in four counties, said executive director Juliana Chase-Morefield. More than 500 people attended the event, each paying $50 a ticket.

And the organization needed this. Accord­ing to a study done by the group, Chase-Morefield said, one out of six people in Lorain, Erie, Huron and Crawford counties have recieved food from one of the agencies affiliated with Second Harvest, and according to the latest Census results, 1 in 3 people in Lorian live in poverty.

“The need is higher than it’s ever been in the 28 years here,” she said.

Chef Aaron Sanchez – restaurant owner and star of Food Network shows “Chefs vs. City,” “Chopped” and “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” – drew not only a sellout crowd, Chase-Morefield said, but more local chefs than ever.

Sanchez said he was glad to be at the event.

“For me, I have to give back,” he said. “It’s a way to show my appreciation for all I have.”

Sanchez attended with his wife, Ife, who is a singer and has just released her first album, “In Love Story,” on iTunes. The couple is expecting their first child in March.

Sanchez also did a cooking demonstration (video available tomarrow) for the crowd. He made a salsa verde, then made a Brazilian-style sauteed seafood dish with cashews, jalapenos and coconut milk.

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