What to wear to a fundraising dinner depends on the fundraising purpose. Typically, when you attend a scholarship fundraiser or an event to raise funds for local beautification or health care, these events mean dress-up. This post provides outfit ideas for such upscale fundraisers and an insider tip on eating great food for cheap when you are in Fairbanks.
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.
What to Wear to a Fundraising Dinner
Fairbanks is not a very formal town. Therefore, the scholarship fundraiser dress code was Fairbanks Formal.
I went for a LBD with a long pearl necklace and floral pumps for the event. Most women wore some variation of a LBD, a simple solid color long gown, or short cocktail dress. Men wore business casual style or a look that would pass as Casual Friday outfits at most offices. Only one man wore a cutaway.
Fundraising Dinner Outfit Ideas
Fairbanks Lunch Tip
Insider tip: When you visit Fairbanks on a Thursday between September and end of April, go to the Borealis Bistro for a first class lunch of Alaska grown food for a bargain.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) culinary arts department operates the Borealis Bistro located in the James T. Hutchison High School on 3770 Geist Road. During the school year (end of August thru end of May), the UAF culinary arts students have their active cooking class on Thursdays. Note that you need a reservation for seating at 11:30am, 12:00pm, and 12:30pm.
Annual Scholarship Fundraiser Is a Tradition
Every year, the UAF department of culinary arts has a scholarship fundraiser. Fundraising University is a prime example of how successful and impactful these events can be in supporting students’ educational goals.
The UAF culinary art scholarship fundraiser is by invitation only, typically at the end of the spring semester. My husband and I arrived early to take photos of the appetizer before people start enjoying them. Furthermore, I also wanted to capture the ice sculptures before they would start melting in the warm sun.
Alaska Grown Food
All dishes including the appetizer featured Alaska food. There were sushi rolls made with salmon, beef liver paste, salmon sandwiches arranges in form of a fish (see photo above). I loved the salmon wrapped asparagus. The salmon was really chewy. The appetizers came with champagne.
While waiting for the dinner, guest caught up with old friends, enjoyed the champagne and appetizers and live dinning music played on a Yamaha keyboard. Its sound made you think the young woman played a concert piano. However, the entrance hall to the Hutchinson Center is too small to host three tables with appetizers, one table with champagne, over 150 people, and a concert piano.
We enjoyed meeting some neighbors from our old Goldstream neighborhood. After an hour of chatting, catch-up and appetizers, we were called to our tables.
The Fundraiser Menu
- Beet & pastrami cured salmon, sourdough rye crisps, rosehip dressing – Pinot Noir
- Roasted mushrooms, duck fat steam bun, fresh hoisin – Roederer Anderson Valley Brut
- Alaska King crab, saffron sabayon, green apples, brown butter – Argyle Williamette Valley Chardonnay
- Alaska carrot soup, whipped coconut & carrot top oil – Alexander Valley Vineyards Gewürzdraminer
- Local gin, raspberry sorbet with spruce
- Roasted hen, pearl onions, dandelion greens, cranberries & rhubarb – Pinot Noir
- Grilled venison, potato pave, romanesco, marrow – Cote du Rhone
- Mirror cake, blueberry ice cream, colored isomalt – Kiona late harvest Riesling
- Buried chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, gold accents – Bear Creek Port
All dishes featured Alaska grown or harvested food like salmon, game, mushrooms, rhubarb, potatoes, carrots, cranberries, dandelion, King crabs, blueberries, carrots. The intermezzo featured Alaska made gin. The raspberry sorbet was gin infused and the was a little smoldering spruce twig under the inverted glass. We tried to capture the flame and smoke that comes up when you lift the glass and the sudden availability of oxygen leads to a small spark and smoke. Unfortunately, itis hard to capture the right moment.
My Favorites
My favorites were the first three items on the menu: the salmon, Alaska King crab, and the carrot soup. I liked that the King crab was served without shell. Usually, when you order Alaska King crab it comes in a can that looks like an old oil can. It is filled with ice and the leg sticks out.
There were two desserts. For me a dessert is not an American dessert when it has no chocolate. Since my hubby doesn’t like chocolate, we decided that he would eat my first, in exchange for his chocolate dessert. Well, we hadn’t seen the last dessert yet when we agreed to switch. Believe it or not, I made it thru that huge mountain of chocolate. Each course came with a matching wine.
Fueling the Audience for the Auction
Between courses several cakes, some special classes, like a Shushi making class for ten people, some special events like a tour thru the Hoodoo brewery with dinner for eight or a BBQ for 30 people as well as student-made cakes were auctioned. The carrot cake, for instance, went for $675, the raspberry strawberry decorated cake for $725. One person even paid $1200 for a cake.
Photos of me: G. Kramm
Photos of the food, ice sculpture, and venue location: N. Mölders
© 2013-2025 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved
