Quantum Leap and Pangea Restaurant Team Up for Benefit Dinner

February 17, 2006

Tickets are now available for a special fundraising dinner to be held at Pangaea Restaurant in North Bennington on Sunday, February 26, 2006, between 5:00-7:00 pm. The event will benefit Quantum Leap, a local program that helps students, who are struggling academically, reconnect to their education.

This special evening is a culmination of a five-session culinary collaboration between Pangaea restaurant and Quantum Leap, which was conceived by two Bennington College faculty members. Over the past few weeks, Pangaea owner and chef William Scully ‘94 has taught six Quantum Leap students how to cook a seven-course gourmet meal. This learning has taken place in the kitchens of local North Bennington residents who have opened their homes to help these students.

This event, dubbed the Pangaea Project, is in its third year and is designed to expose today’s youth to the culinary industry. The benefit dinner will be prepared, cooked, and served by the Quantum Leap students, under the guidance of the Pangaea staff.

To be a part of this memorable evening, please contact Pangaea Restaurant for reservations at (802) 442-7171. Tickets cost $100 per person. The price includes tax, gratuity and non-alcoholic beverages.

Quantum Leap, established as a pilot program in 1999 by Bennington College faculty members Susan Sgorbati and Danny Michaelson, aims to help students accomplish educational goals by giving them the opportunity to organize their education with the support of Quantum Leap staff and mentors, but with an ultimate emphasis placed on student responsibility. This initiative has grown to include many programs and work with nine collaborating institutions and agencies. Components of all programs include: discovering the subjects that matter to a student, identifying the primary issues preventing a student from succeeding, and providing each student with the tools needed to negotiate the obstacles to his or her success. For information about Quantum Leap call 802-440-4368.