"Fall provides the palette, our friends at the Charles provide the ambiance, but it's our chef partners who work their magic to provide an amazing cornucopia of sweet and savory creations," says Paul Schiavone, CEO and Creative Director of BostonChefs.com. "And every dollar of the $65 ticket price goes to a carefully-selected community organization." This year it's Tutoring Plus, an organization that supports and encourage the academic, personal, and social growth of children and youth in Cambridge with the help of volunteers and community partners.

Ellen McLaughlin, the Executive Director of Tutoring Plus, admits she was more than a little shocked when she received the phone call telling her that the organization she leads had been selected: "In the nonprofit world it's a dream come true! Finding not only that we'd been selected as the beneficiary, but also that we are able to participate in such a fun filled evening of excellent foods, wines and music is just amazing."  

The participating restaurants get pretty excited about this event as well. According to Mary Catherine Diebel, whose UpStairs on the Square has participated every year for the past seven: "Every fall, our managers and chefs vie to staff our table at BostonChefs.com's feel-good fundraiser, because everybody who's anybody in Cambridge is there, and because it gives back to charities based in Cambridge. We've been on board, and happily, since the first year. And we love how warm and hospitable the event always is."  

UpStairs will be joined by Cambridge newcomers Bondir, Area Four, and Catalyst, as well as by perennial favorites like Sandrine's, Henrietta's Table, Evoo, Harvest, Bergamot, Garden at the Cellar, and Russell House Tavern. Michael Scelfo of Russell House captures the essence of the event perfectly when he says, "It is important to us to use the freshest seasonal and local ingredients on our menu daily, so we're excited to create a special dish for Flavors of Fall using the very best that our New England fall harvest has to offer." 

And, as if twelve different takes on the New England harvest weren't enough, the ticket also gives guests the opportunity to enjoy a unique cocktail created by Noir; wines provided by the purveyors of fine wines Dreyfus, Ashby & Company; beers from Brooklyn Brewery; and coffee from local roaster J.P. Licks. In keeping with the heritage of Regattabar, the Rollo Tomasi Quartet will serve up its unique blend of jazz. Tickets are available for purchase online by going to Shop.BostonChefs.com.

Since the first Flavors event in 2004, BostonChefs.com, together with co-sponsors City Square Associates and The Charles Hotel, have raised nearly $75,000 for a wide range of Cambridge-based community organizations. "Most of these organizations," says Executive Editor of BostonChefs.com Honor Lydon, "have used the proceeds to build out new programs and increase their impact in the community. This year we've set up a place online--we're calling it FOF HOF (Flavors of Fall Hall of Fame)--where folks can read about the amazing accomplishments of these small but mighty important community-based organizations."

This year's beneficiaries are especially pleased to have this gift come just as they launch their new Girls and Media program in collaboration with Lesley University. McLaughlin explains: "This wonderful program will provide young girls an opportunity to attend college one night a week for seven weeks. Imagine getting on a school bus as a young 6th, 7th or 8th grade and attending your first college class! As a young girl, you are in the process of forming your own opinions about social and print media, and music but you do not yet have the tools for examining the messages you are receiving daily. How do you make good choices? Well this college class at Lesley provides them with a chance for their voices to be heard and an opportunity to learn new tools to analyze and process information about the messages they are receiving."

"This is one of the things that really attracted us to Tutoring Plus," says Chris Schiavone, Co-Founder of BostonChefs.com and Principal of City Square Associates, Inc., a media research and consulting firm. "Both of our businesses--BostonChefs.com and City Square Associates--are deeply involved in the media world, both digital and traditional. The kids that Tutoring Plus serves are not only media users themselves; they are also the media professionals of tomorrow, and we're thrilled to play some small role in helping them leverage the power of media to enrich and change people's lives."

BostonChefs.com, "The Insider's Guide to Dining in Boston," is an online community of the area's best dining destinations and top culinary talent. Featuring nearly 150 of the best restaurants in Greater Boston and beyond, it provides comprehensive information on each dining destination-including menus, photos, chef bios, hours of operation, and restaurant background-and the most complete and up-to-date calendar of local food, wine and restaurant events available anywhere. BostonChefs.com, together with its sister sites RestaurantWeekBoston.com and CapeCodChefs.com, is one of the most heavily trafficked and rapidly growing online dining destinations in the region.  

Established in 1964, Tutoring Plus supports and encourages the academic, personal, and social growth of Cambridge youth with the help of volunteers and community partners. Teaming up with area schools, community organizations, universities and local companies, they provide safe, trusted, structured and highly personalized programs. Proceeds from this year's Flavors of Fall specifically support Tutoring Plus's Girls, Media & You, a joint project with Lesley University that brings under-served and at-risk middle school girls together with Lesley undergraduates to focus on the influences of society, culture, and media on girlhood in the contemporary U.S.  

City Square Associates, Inc. is a Cambridge-based marketing research and business consulting firm specializing in consumer behavior, public opinion, and media strategies. For nearly fifteen years, City Square has developed a client roster that includes an impressive array of  national media brands-including NBC Univeral, PBS, and ABC Family, and non-profit organizations like the Pew Environment Group, the WGBH Educational Foundation, WNET (New York Public Television), The Bridgespan Group, and Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston.

The Charles Hotel, Harvard Square, is an independent luxury hotel and a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts.  The AAA Four-Diamond award-winner may be the only hotel in the world to welcome Noble Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Academy Award winners, jazz greats and New England farmers.  Reflecting the eclecticism that is Cambridge, The Charles Hotel is a modern interpretation of New England hospitality with a thriving jazz club, two signature restaurants, ice-skating rink, state of the art conference facilities and a central location in the heart of Harvard Square. The Charles has been designated by the New England Travel Guide as the best hotel to "stay put in" when visiting Boston.