William Ruff, co-founder of LRS Architects, and Joseph Weston, of Weston Investment Company, toast a successful evening.

Image: LeeAnn Gauthier, LeeAnn Gauthier

One of the Pearl District’s newest eateries, Irving Street Kitchen (formerly Bay 13), was the site for "Cooking Up Care" a foodie fundraiser held May 22 for Old Town nonprofit the Macdonald Center.

Named for the late Portland philanthropist Maybelle Clark Macdonald, the center’s mission is to provide outreach and support services for impoverished people. As a Medicaid-only living facility, the Macdonald Center currently shelters 54 low-income residents with disabilities.

Approximately 200 community and business leaders attended the soiree and dined on small plates of distinctive Southern-accented cuisine created by Irving Street Kitchen chef Sarah Schaefer. When they weren’t savoring the ham sliders, jambalaya, and house-cured charcuterie boards, chased with regional wines, the guests were making contributions to the center, and their donations were matched dollar for dollar from the Maybelle Clark Mcdonald Fund. All told, the event drummed up more than $155,000 for the center’s operating budget. And since the goal of the evening was to raise $150,000, it turned out be a festive fete indeed.