Moore To Life: Charity - Giving Back

It always been a priority for me to give back and support worthy causes.

I recently partnered with Union Gospel Mission to make over their dining room. This Union Gospel Mission serves the largest number of men in Washington and I wanted to make a big impact to benefit the large numbers of men the mission serves every year.

On my initial visit, I immediately knew I wanted to transform the cold, sterile dining/sleeping hall into a warm and inviting space.

My first priority was to warm-up the wall color. With the help of Queen Anne Magnolia Paints and NeedaBreak.org, we transformed the walls with a warm brown-toned color.

I then tackled a new floor to get things looking clean and crisp. The existing green laminate wainscoting was a cry from 1989 and was promptly veneered with an updated rustic pattern from Formica.

The existing fluorescent lights were replaced with smart pendants by Lighting Universe. 

Adding personality and warmth

As the foundations of the room received their new treatments, it was time to get busy bringing in personality and warmth into the space through some high-impact style pieces.

Lease Crutcher Lewis was generous in donating the cost of a great new Electric Fireplace Unit to bring that element of Hearth and Home into the space, and new local company Tacky Smack partnered in the effort to revitalize the walls with inspirational message quotes and a luscious tree silhouette vinyl cling.

Kara Hicks Photography offered her services to capture the people and places of Pioneer Square, and Panda Lab took up the job of printing these images on a great large 20-inch square format to bring a family feeling into the Hall.

Thanks to the generous support of area businesses, I was able to successfully revitalize the Union Gospel Mission dining / sleeping hall. What a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

I had the pleasure of learning to cook mussels with Chef Daisley Gordon of Campagne, Café Campagne, a wonderful French bistro where Chef Daisley creates extraordinary dishes getting the most flavor from simple ingredients. With Chef  Daisley in the kitchen, it's no wonder that Campagne, Café Campagne has received the designation as Seattle's top French Café/Bistro consistently by Zagat Survey.

Recipe:

Basil & Cherry Tomato Mussels - ©Chef Daisley Gordon / Campagne, Cafe Campagne

1 T olive oil blend
½ teaspoon shallots, minced
½ teaspoon garlic, minced
½ cup English cucumber ½ moons (peeled, split, seeded & sliced)
½ lb Taylor Shellfish Mediterranean mussels, cleaned
1 oz white wine
½ cup cherry tomatoes, ½‘s
2 T basil puree
1 T whole butter
Lemon juice TT
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat medium sauté pan.

Add olive oil and heat until it ripples.

Add shallots, garlic and cucumber and sauté until aromatic.

Add mussels and toss to get evenly coated.

Season with salt and pepper, deglaze with white wine and cover pan to steam.

Once mussels are open, Add tomatoes, basil puree and whole butter all at once and combine well over the heat to make a creamy green emulsion.

Adjust the sauce with lemon juice and more salt and pepper if needed. 

Transfer to bowl and make sure there is plenty of visible garnish sitting on top of the mussels.

©Campagne & Café Campagne - Chef Daisley C. Gordon November 21, 2009

Sponsors and donors in this week's show:

Mike Johnson, director, Union Gospel Mission
Flooring/fireplace:Lease Crutcher Lewis
Floor prep/installation: Division 9 & Prime Flooring
Laminate: Gibson Media 
Painters: Need a Break
Paint: Queen Anne Magnolia Paints
Lights: Lighting Universe 
Lighting installation:Diamond Kitchen and Bath  
Photography: Kara Hicks
Photo printing: Panda Lab
Photo mounting: Pro Lam
Vinyl clings: Tacky Smack
Campagne - Chef Daisley Gordon
 
Union Gospel Mission
Pioneer Square
Seattle
 
Queen Anne Magnolia Paints
2530 15th Ave
Seattle
 
Lighting Universe
Seattle Design Center