RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - The third time was the charm when the Kiwanis Club held its farm to fork dinner on the event lawn of the Rancho Murieta Country Club on Sept. 28, raising funds for scholarships for disadvantaged high school seniors.

Unlike the two previous dinners, where an all-volunteer group did its best to serve a couple hundred diners at the remote Lake Clementia Amphitheater, this year’s event went off seamlessly.

That was the sentiment from Kiwanian Carol Prinzo, who has been the main organizer for all three years.

“I sat there dumbfounded because everything went so well,” Prinzo said. “I just can’t stress how much the country club helped. They took such a burden off our shoulders.”

Lise Smith, who attended all three dinners, agreed.

“The food was fabulous, the service was great, and I had a great group at my table,” Smith said. “This year’s dinner was a great improvement over last year.”

Despite the successful execution, only 93 tickets were sold for this year’s dinner, falling short of the 200-ticket target. The various obstacles faced during last year’s event were likely the reason for the lower turnout.

The reduced proceeds were disheartening for Prinzo. The cause that she and her fellow Kiwanians hold dear is the Turn-Around Scholarship Program. Administered by the Elk Grove Regional Scholarship Foundation, it provides scholarships to Elk Grove Unified School District high school students who have overcome adversity to achieve a GPA of at least 3.0 by graduation.

“These are kids who never in a million years would qualify for a traditional scholarship, but this gives them a hand up to go to college and to go to trade school,” Prinzo said. “These kids have struggled, yet they have managed to graduate with at least a 3.0 GPA. That’s what it is all about.”

Realizing that the Lake Clementia Amphitheater was not an ideal location, Prinzo and her committee decided to move the dinner to the country club this year. Jeannette Edwards served as co-chair, with committee members Dia Utterback, Diann Swan, Cookie Whalen and Bronwyn Anthony.

To their surprise, booking the country club was less expensive than renting tables, chairs, linens and portable toilets, buying desserts from Costco and managing other unexpected expenses that had previously arisen.

The new venue also eliminated many logistical challenges, such as requiring table hostesses to provide plates, glassware and silverware, as well as to design a centerpiece. While the Knights of Columbus had run a limited bar at past dinners with only beer, wine and bottled water, attendees at this year’s event could simply walk into the clubhouse to purchase a cocktail.

Prinzo praised two country club employees for their assistance: Laura Koontz, the special events coordinator, for her help in planning and executing the dinner; and Isidro Martinez, the banquet captain, who supervised the setup and teardown of the tables.

“They were so kind and helpful as they helped us problem-solve,” Prinzo said. “They are a big reason this went as smoothly as it did.”

Prinzo also acknowledged the Rancho Murieta Association Maintenance Department employees for setting up the tents as they had done in previous years.

Fourteen teens from the Rancho Murieta and Pleasant Grove High School chapters of the Kiwanis Key Club provided invaluable help under the supervision of Kiwanians Patti Maffei and Suzie Pierce. Dressed like professional wait staff in white shirts, black pants and black bow ties, the teens attentively served each course, cleared dishes and handed out boxes for leftovers. Another teen photographed the event.

KC Brown, the country club’s executive chef, crafted a four-course, gourmet menu for the event, as he had for the past two dinners. This year’s appetizer was especially sumptuous, featuring braised pork belly with blackberry and red onion jam, roasted mushroom arancini and smoked bell pepper ragout.

After being asked by the Kiwanians to stop by the tent after dessert, Brown received a loud round of applause upon his introduction.

Kiwanis President Bill Kenney kicked off the dinner with a brief program. He individually recognized the members of the Farm-To-Fork Dinner Committee and the table hostesses, who this year were only responsible for creating a beautiful centerpiece. He also introduced three Kiwanians from the regional level” Brian McClean, the lieutenant governor for Kiwanis Region 44, his wife Michelle, and Paula Kelly, the executive director of the Kiwanis House on the UC Davis hospital campus

Kenney encouraged attendees to contribute to the tip jars for their servers, which they generously did. The two Key Clubs will use the tip money to fund their own community projects.

At the end of the dinner, Kenney expressed his gratitude to the attendees.

“Because of people like you, we’re able to give four $1,000 turnaround scholarships this year,” he announced.