Photo by Derek Redd Wheeling Health Right Assistant Director Dee Phillips waits for an omelette from Chef John Greenwald, executive chef of the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack. The hotel-casino-racetrack will be one of the participating restaurants in the 2023 Chef’s Auction, which benefits Wheeling Health Right.

WHEELING — It has been three years since Wheeling Health Right has been able to hold its primary annual fundraiser, but on May 11, the Chef’s Auction returns to WesBanco Arena and more than a dozen area chefs and restaurants will participate.

Health Right hosted a kickoff breakfast for those participating restaurants Wednesday morning at the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack. Health Right Executive Director Kathie Brown welcomed those guests and reiterated her gratitude for them joining the fun.

The COVID-19 pandemic kept Health Right from holding the event since 2019. Brown said the last Chef’s Auction raised around $80,000 for the organization. But the Ohio Valley community continued to support Health Right during the hiatus, and Brown was ecstatic that the Chef’s Auction could return as both a fundraiser for Health Right and a fun event for the community.

“The community really does embrace us,” she said. “Through the pandemic, they were there for us. They also realized that we were there for them because through the pandemic, it became apparent that we were a community health center

“We did testing, we did all the vaccines,” she said. “It didn’t matter what your income level was or where you live. So it really proved that we’re here for the community, and we want to continue that approach with anything we can do.”

Seventeen chefs and restaurants from around the Ohio Valley will be stationed around the WesBanco Arena floor on May 11 for patrons to sample. Participating restaurants could offer samples of entrees, appetizers, desserts or even fancy drinks that match the menus. Brown said they can focus on one of their best dishes or spread their wings and offer something new or special.

“If you go away hungry,” Brown said, “it’s your own fault.”

The night also will include a silent auction, a bag auction and a live auction that could include prizes like a private dinner from one of the participating chefs.

Chef Rocco Basil, who has participated in the Chef”s Auction since its inception, said that, along with the auction being a wonderful opportunity to help Wheeling Health Right, it offers some time for the participating chefs to work together for the cause.

“One of the great things here is being able to increase the camaraderie,” he said. “I’ve never felt that the fraternity that is the food service world and the world of chefs should be a competition. I feel it should be more of a fraternity that actually helps one another. And I think that that this helps to bring that community together as well.”

Cocktail hour and the silent auction begin at 5:30 p.m. May 11, with dinner following at 7 p.m. The silent auction ends and the live auction begins at 8 p.m.

To buy tickets, go to wheelinghealthright.home.qtego.net. Call 304-233-1135 for more information.