Maurice Weeks
Coordinator of Corporate Relations and Special Events
Maurice is the newest member of the financial development team at the Red Cross SEPA Chapter. He mostly does special events, proving once and for all his mom's theory that he is special. He is not embarrassed by how much he loves his cubicle.
Blog Posts
Featured Red Ball Restaurant - Ristorante Panorama
Posted Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 8:53 AM by Maurice Weeks
This is the second post in a recurring series of Red Ball featured restaurant reviews. For more information about the featured Red Ball restaurants, please contact Maurice Weeks (maurice.weeks@redcross-philly.org).
Ristorante Panorama has been a longstanding restaurant sponsor of the Red Ball. They are always a hit, and there is no question why. Delicious, delicious, delicious Italian food. We got a chance to preview this featured Red Ball restaurant to see what their chefs will be bringing to the Red Ball.
Ristorante Panorama is located on the first floor of the Penn's View Hotel on Front and Market streets in Philadelphia. Panorama's walls are lined with beautifully painted murals which make you feel like you are on the streets of Italy, and bottles and bottles of fantastic wine. In fact, Ristorante Panorama is known in particular for their wine collection and even have their own Sommelier (don't worry - here's the wiki page). Head down on Fridays for their "Friday Night Flights" - a wine tasting and discussion session.
We focused on the food during our visit, because that is what they'll be bringing to Red Ball on March 6th. See photos below of Ristorante Panorama's Cuisine. The menu for the evening, descriptions, and reviews of the food appear with the pictures.
APPETIZERS
We started out with a selection of prosciutto, roasted red pepper, green olives, and cheese just to set us for our meal. The proscuitto was unbelievable (and influenced my later dinner choice), but the unexpected star was the roasted red pepper. Perfectly seasoned, it would be satisfying just to have a plate of this for dinner. We also had a bit of bruschetta, bread, and pesto to prep us for dinner. Luke Van Meter (who lived in Italy) personally approved of the prosciutto, pesto and the bruschetta - made with the freshest tomatoes.
ENTREES
Pollo Farcito con Prosciutto e Mozzarella and Costata di Vitello
The entree sizes were quite sizeable, which for the A+ quality of the food, was remarkable! The chicken breast was stuffed with roasted peppers, spinach, proscuitto, and mozzerella, lightly battered and pan seared with lemon butter and white wine. It was so juicy and rich - it is clear why it is a popular dish. The veal was tender as you expect with an outstanding sauce. In fact, both sauces were so good that Luke and I put our leftover bread to good use to finish them. Both entrees were flanked by delicious potatoes and fresh veggies that shouldn't be overlooked. Ristorante Panorama's chefs know how to put together a plate!
DESSERTS
The desserts alone could easily satisfy me. Profiteroles drizzled with chocolate and this beautiful pear (poached with mascarpone and hazelnuts). The pear was almost too beautiful to eat (almost). Ristorante Panorama is among the best I've ever tasted, so if you can't make dinner, stop by just for a quick sweet treat. It would be well worth it.
Take it from me, Ristorante Panorama should not be missed. Their expert chefs will again wow Red Ball attendees.
Visit Ristorante Panorama on the web HERE!
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Tags: Featured Red Ball Restaurant - Roy's Hawaiian Fusion
Posted Friday, January 8, 2010 at 9:07 AM by Maurice Weeks
This is the first in recurring series of Red Ball featured restaurant reviews. For more information about the featured Red Ball Restaurants, please contact Maurice Weeks (weeksm@redcross-philly.org).
Roy's Philadelphia has been a restaurant sponsor of the Red Ball since 2002. That makes them the longest running restaurant appearing at the ball! If you haven't been to Roy's, you don't know what you're missing. We got a chance to preview this featured Red Ball restaurant to see what their chefs will be bringing to the Red Ball.
Roy’s has beautiful high ceilings, bright colors and a floral theme that transport your right to Hawaii. The menu at Roy’s was outstanding to say the very least.
See photos below of Roy’s Cuisine. The menu for the evening, descriptions and reviews of the food appear with the pictures.
SUSHI
Auntie Lei’s Aloha Roll and Lakanilau
These two sushi rolls were made with the freshest of ingredients. The Lakanilau roll was my personal favorite – topped with a thin slice of Seared Wagyu Beef. If you like Sushi, it is hard to get two rolls better than these.
APPETIZERS
Chef Artt Ward’s “Philly Cheesesteak” Egg Roll and Crunchy Golden Lobster Potstickers
What an experience the Philly Cheesesteak Egg Roll was! What would a great Philadelphia Restaurant be without some rendition of our city’s official food. Chef Ward’s design is unlike any cheesesteak you’ve ever had though – with high quality meat and homemade spicy asian ketchup. Follow it up with a potsticker filled with perfectly fluffy lobster and butter sauce, and these two appetizers could be a meal by themselves.
ENTREES
Roy’s Classic Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi, Roy’s Original Hawaiian Blackened Island Ahi, Slow Braised & Charbroiled Short Ribs of Beef
The Macadamia Nut Mahi Mahi and Island Ahi could put any seafood specialty restaurant to shame. The macadamia nut crust was the perfect accent to the flaky and flavorful Mahi Mahi. The Ahi was seared perfectly and was definitely the freshest Ahi I have ever had.
The Short Ribs of Beef were so juicy and tender that they peeled apart at the touch of a fork. The bed of Yukon mashed potatoes made this dish a delicious rendition of the American staple of beef and potatoes.
DESSERT
The Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle
They say that people will travel hours just to have this dessert from Roy’s. This might seem unbelievable, but trust me – it’s true. If I didn’t live in Philly, I would have to think of some way to get into the city periodically for this. The soufflé is warm, chocolaty (what more could you ask for, right?) and served along side vanilla ice cream. A perfect conclusion to this meal…
Holiday Gift Idea?
Posted Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 1:05 PM by Maurice Weeks
Still procrastinating on that holiday shopping? You're running out of time....
I would suggest purchasing some Red Ball Tickets. Think about it. You could make a donation to us in someone's name, but if you buy Red Ball tickets, the money still goes to help disaster relief in our region AND the person gets to go to an awesome gala with food tasting, music and dancing. Not only do you win by buying a great gift, they win because they are able to attend our premier ball, and we win because we can continue to provide disaster relief services for the upcoming year. It is a rare WIN - WIN - WIN situation. What can beat that? I dare you to find something.
Maybe an N64, but that's it.
EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS ON DECEMBER 31st! BUY RED BALL TICKETS NOW!
The happiest kid of all...
Posted Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 12:46 PM by Maurice Weeks
We tried to make him wait until Christmas, but he couldn't resist.
No Surprises...
Posted Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 3:32 PM by Maurice Weeks
Surprises are only cute when they involve kittens.
The end of the year is a perfect time to make sure you and your family are RED CROSS READY.
Disaster Relief Fail?
Posted Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 9:25 AM by Maurice Weeks
Not really. We buy stronger ladders than this. But this guy does demonstrate one charecteristic of the Red Cross - calmness in the face of disaster.
Let's get this poor guy some disaster relief
Posted Monday, November 23, 2009 at 8:32 AM by Maurice Weeks
ouch...
Need some Red Ball Dance moves?
Posted Friday, November 20, 2009 at 10:12 AM by Maurice Weeks
Don't worry. You have months to practice. But come March 6th, 2010 you better be ready. Take some moves from the expert below.
Red Ballin'
Posted Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 1:42 PM by Maurice Weeks
I found a game to get us all prepared for Red Ball. It is aptly named......Red Ball.
Click the image to play. Happy procrastinating. When you finish, head over and buy your Red Ball ticket NOW to take advantage of the early bird price.
Philadelphia Phood!
Posted Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 10:57 AM by Maurice Weeks
Uwishunu has a Thanksgiving series on their blog right now. Today, they featured one thing Philly definetly should be thankful for - delicious food!
Here is their list of just a few reasons we should be thankful for being in this terrific phood town:
This is a great list. I would add...
Philadelphia Fire Department
Posted Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 5:34 PM by Maurice Weeks
Click onto The Philadelphia Fire Department's webpage. They've got a bunch of great resources. In case you don't know, The Philadelphia Fire Department is our biggest partner. We work hand in hand with them to provide disaster relief and emergency preparedness services, literally every day of the year.
You can find a great deal of info on the Philly Fire website, including home fire safety plans, home fire safety checklists, some things to think about with objects around your home in terms of fire safety, and a KidZone which can be useful for procrastinating at work. Beating a children's game at work really boosts your morale! Trust me!
And if you had any doubts that our fire dept was cool, check out this video from 2005. I wonder if this guy is still on staff there....
Be 'Red Cross Ready' for the World Series
Posted Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 8:46 AM by Maurice Weeks
Listen, Philly.
The World Series starts tonight. The Phils have made it again. Let's get EXCITED!
But not too excited...
Let's make sure we are Red Cross Ready for the World Series. As we all know, Step 3 of being Red Cross Ready is Being Informed - "Learn what disasters may occur...Learn what you can do to prepare. Share what you've learned."
If the Phils win, and you are happily dancing on a cab that is moving, things will not end very well for you.
Consider yourself informed, and share what you've learned.
New Events? You decide.
Posted Friday, October 23, 2009 at 10:03 AM by Maurice Weeks
Here in the Events Department, we’re always trying to think of new events that will keep our supporters interested. But, it’s hard. Sometimes we need a little help. So I thought I’d put up a poll to see what the readers of this blog think we should do next. Here are the front-runners:
A) Red Cross Annual Hypnotist Session
Event Specs: A hypnotist – probably this guy – will give guests a thrilling presentation, with all the classic hypnotist tricks and some added Red Cross-specific ones. We’d have to make sure our insurance company is ok with hypnotized Red Cross volunteers conducting Fire Safety Walkthroughs, but I think it should be fine.
B) Red Cross Dodgeball Tourney
Event Specs: Bring back all of those middle school fears. It’s Red Cross FinDev team vs. All. Don’t let our friendly pictures fool you. We’re monsters on the db court.
C) Bill Procopio Open Mic Hour
Event Specs: Bill will do all your favorites. Feel free to shout for Freebird, or for hits from his Christmas CD.
These are all so good. I can’t decide.
Let the voting begin….
Going once…Going twice…
Posted Monday, October 12, 2009 at 10:57 AM by Maurice Weeks
Will you be the lucky buyer? It’s possible! All you have to do is go to our auction site.
We have some great things up for grabs like a Harry-the-K signed baseball, a signed Eagles jersey, an overnight hotel stay, and more!
The best part is that all of the proceeds directly benefit Red Cross House, our one-of-a-kind center for disaster relief. So you can have some fun bidding, score a Harry-the-K baseball, and help your neighbors who may encounter a disaster this year. That’s a pretty sweet deal.
I’ve been taking these auctioneer classes so hopefully I can be appointed head auctioneer.
…and SOLD! …to the viewer of the very awkward YouTube video.
New Computer System at Chapter
Posted Friday, October 2, 2009 at 9:00 AM by Maurice Weeks
We were having some issues with our computers so we decided to upgrade! We got a great deal on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It is (was) Britain’s fastest computer (in ‘82) and even features word processing! I saw this ad and immediately brought it to senior management who made the decision to go with it.
Ironically, our new computer systems hold the same name as one of our most important events!
The Spectrum Awards breakfast takes place on November 5th. The awards celebrate women who have become leaders in their fields while also embodying the values of the Red Cross. Check out this year’s award winners here.
It promises to be great and inspirational start to your morning, so reserve your seat now. I plan on taking notes on my new (old) Sinclair ZX!
MMMMMmmmmmmm
Posted Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 9:58 AM by Maurice Weeks
This week is restaurant week in Philly. Some of the city’s best restaurants will offer delicious meals at a discounted price, so you can finally try that ritzy place you've always wanted to.
If you like new and delicious food in Philly and supporting the mission of the Red Cross, then The Red Ball is the event for you. The Red Ball not only features samplings from the finest restaurants in Philly, but also music, dancing, an auction and raffle, and much much more. And it’s at the Please Touch Museum! Who can beat that!
Visit The Red Ball website, theredball.org, for more info and to check out last year’s restaurants. And rest assured - we’ll have even MORE top restaurants when the event rolls around in March.
Early bird tickets are on sale right now for a limited time! Also, keep your eyes peeled for discount cards at select restaurant week locations.
The best way to follow the SEPA Chapter...
Posted Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 2:27 PM by Maurice Weeks
We appreciate that some of our supporters aren’t able to remain in close contact with us do to their own busy schedules and lives. It’s ok. Really! But there is one way to stay up-to-date on Red Cross events - Stalk us using social media!
We're on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr, and Shutterfly. We are so web 2.0 connected it's crazy! With all that info, it’s almost like we’re face to face…except for the whole live human interaction thing – but that’s overrated anyway.
So make sure you keep track of what’s going on. And of course you can always contact us directly :)
…just please don’t stalk us in the legal sense of the word. That would be awkward.
