FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2015) – Boston Red Sox Corporate Executive Chef Ron Abell will leave Fenway and head to Southwest Florida, as he leads the Aramark team in creating and preparing a new menu for this year’s 10th annual Evening with the Red Sox dinner and auction event.

Chef Abell served under Lydia Shire at Biba, Lucient Robert and Pierre Jamet at Maison Robert and as executive chef at the famed Icarus in Boston’s fashionable South End. A graduate of Johnson and Wales University and Blue Hills High School for the Culinary Arts, Chef Abell is constantly challenging and expanding his culinary skills. He is an active member of the Chef’s Collaborative, a national network of food professionals who promote sustainable cuisine by celebrating the joys of local, seasonal and artisanal cooking.

“We’re very excited to have a taste of Fenway at this year’s event, as Chef Abell shares his Fenway flavor and skills with Fort Myers,” said Jim Larkin, co-chairperson for the event and board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lee County.

Benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County, the annual Evening with the Red Sox will be held at JetBlue Park at Fenway South located at 11500 Fenway South Drive in Fort Myers. The evening will begin at 5:30 and include a cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine, silent and live auctions, dinner and autograph signings from Red Sox players. Last year’s event included autograph signings by Craig Breslow, Mike Carp and Will Middlebrooks.

Presenting sponsors for this year’s event are Allstate Insurance and Ted Todd Insurance. Additional sponsorships and tables are still available from $1,250 to $10,000. Donations for auction items are also being accepted. For more information or to become a sponsor, contact Shannon Lane at 239-334-1886 or slane@bgclc.net.

Individual tickets for the event are $200 per person.

Funds raised during the event provide more than 30,000 hours of service to more than 420 young people in our community who are a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County. Last year, more than 1,300 youth demonstrated academic success, character and leadership and healthy lifestyles from the agency’s programs.

Celebrating 40 years of providing quality youth programs and brighter futures for young people in the Lee County community, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County works to inspire and enable young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The BGCLC strives to provide a safe, world-class Club experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who walks through its doors. The organization envisions all of its members graduating high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character, citizenship while adapting a healthy lifestyle.

The area’s five Clubs are located in communities with the greatest need where similar services are limited or nonexistent. Membership dues are $10 per school year so that all children can have access to its programs. The BGCLC relies upon the philanthropic support of individuals, corporations and foundations in order to sustain and grow its services.

For more information or to register for the event, contact Shannon Lane at 239-334-1886 or slane@bgclc.net.