Borgata Heart & Soul Foundation Raises $101,500 for Living Beyond Breast Cancer and Atlantic County Women's Center

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, November 11th, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa (866-MYBORGATA), the East Coast's leading hotel-casino and dining destination, was the setting for the second annual Women in Wine, a charity tasting event, celebrity chef cook-off and wine education forum celebrating female winemakers from around the country. In partnership with Wine Spectator magazine, the Borgata Heart & Soul Foundation raised $101,500 for Living Beyond Breast Cancer and Atlantic County Women's Center through ticket sales, and a live and silent auction held that evening.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061113/NYM242-a ) (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061113/NYM242-b )

The second annual Women in Wine event offered attendees the special and rare opportunity to join some of America's most celebrated chefs and female vintners for an exclusive sampling of mouth-watering dishes and incredible wines, as well as the chance to learn techniques for tasting, selecting and storing wines. Hosted by Emmy-nominated ABC 7 news anchor Lauren Glassberg, the event honored the trailblazing women who now run vineyards, hold the keys to major cellars and are shaping the future of wine. Special guests in attendance included female winemaker and actress Lorraine Bracco of HBO's "The Sopranos" and Olympic Gold medalist Peggy Fleming, also a breast cancer survivor. At Women in Wine, Bracco and Fleming showcased Bracco Wines and Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Wineries (respectively).

A highlight of the evening included the first-ever cook-off between two of Food Network's celebrated Iron Chefs from "Iron Chef America" -- Borgata chef Bobby Flay battled Nobu-alumnus Masaharu Morimoto in a "mystery bag cook-off." After a heated 25-minute competition where the secret ingredients were lobster and Dungeness crab, the judges awarded both chefs ten out of ten possible points and declared a tie.

Female winemakers and vintners in attendance included Jean Arnold (Hanzell Vineyards, Sonoma, CA), Judy Beardsall (Ananda di Toscana, Tuscany, Italy), Gay Callan (Chatom Vineyards, Murphys, CA), Rhonda Carano (Ferrari-Carano, Healdsburg, CA), Jane Delaney (The Ravensvale Group, Australia), Elizabeth Grant Douglas (La Crema Winery, Windsor, CA), Patti Hoffman (Spellbound Wines, Napa, CA), Violet Grgich (Grgich Hills Cellar, Rutherford, CA), Merry Edwards (Meredith Vineyard Estate, Russian River Valley, Windsor, CA), Joan Flowers (Flowers Vineyard & Winery, Cazadero, CA), Gina Gallo (Gallo of Sonoma Winery, Healdsburg, CA), Jennifer Higgins (Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards & Winery, Healdsburg, CA), Patricia Kluge (The Kluge Estate & Winery, Charlottesville, VA), Anne Moses (Patz and Hall, Napa, CA), Gabriela Negrete (Montes Winery, Apalta Valley, Chile), Dr. Sua Newton (Newton Vineyards, St. Helena, CA), Claude de Nicolay (Domaine Chandon de Brailles, Burgundy, France), Susie Selby (Selby Winery, Healdsburg, CA), Joy Sterling (Iron Horse Vineyards, Sebastopol, CA) and Margi Wierenga (Brogan Cellars, Healdsburg, CA).

Borgata chefs Bobby Flay of Bobby Flay Steak, Michael Mina of SEABLUE, A Michael Mina Restaurant, Wolfgang Puck of Wolfgang Puck American Grille, Susanna Foo of Suilan by Susanna Foo, Luke Palladino of Specchio and Ombra, Romeo DiBona of Old Homestead Steakhouse, Borgata Executive Chef Ron Ross and Borgata Executive Pastry Chef Thaddeus DuBois prepared signature menu items and mingling with guests.

About Borgata

Borgata is a joint venture of Boyd Gaming Corporation and MGM MIRAGE . Located at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City, it features 2,000 guest rooms and suites, 161,000 square feet of gaming, 200 gaming tables, 4,100 slot machines, 14 destination restaurants, 11 retail boutiques, a 54,000 square foot spa, 70,000 square feet of event space, and parking for 7,100 cars.

For more information on Borgata or to obtain a copy of this press release, please visit http://www.theborgata.com/ or use AOL keyword: borgata. Additional news and information on Boyd Gaming can be found at http://www.boydgaming.com/; additional information on MGM MIRAGE can be found at http://www.mgmmirage.com/.