(click to enlarge photos)Yesterday I attended a lovely charity luncheon sponsored by the Friends of Tenerife, a group whose purpose is to sponsor money-raising social events to benefit needy persons and charities on Tenerife. The luncheon was held in La Orquidea, a French restaurant which has been a favourite of mine for some years.
I arrived early so I could take a few photos for the club's event albums and was able to watch while the finishing touches, including bouquets of fresh roses and menus were put on the tables.
Yesterday the money raised was going to the Association of Apanate Norte, the group established to aid parents of autistic children in the villa of La Orotava.Present were representatives of the Association, José and Mari, to whom a cheque of two thousand Euros was presented on behalf of Friends of Tenerife by the president, Helen Jameson.
José & Mari
Helen JamesonThe chefs were busy in the kitchen preparing what was to be a superb first course salad, complete with edible nasturtiums bordering each plate.
As members arrived, they were greeted by Helen and vice-President Jean Pennington.
Here is the magnificent salad, a work of culinary art, with shrimps wrapped in three shapes of phyllo pastry: beggar's purses, triangles and wraps, topping a lovely plate of greens with caviar, smoked salmon, salad herbs and accompanied by lemon and a sweet mixed chutney sauce. 
As a second course I chose the Coq Au Vin, a French classic of chicken cooked in red wine with bacon, onion and carrot. It came with baked potato, the insides mashed with butter and cream and placed back into the crispy skins.
Dessert was yet another treat for both eyes and palate. A slice of chocolate tart with gourmet ice cream and a miniature strawberry cream puff. Ohhhhhh! 
Here the president of Apanate Norte, José Luis Barquin Diez holds a photo of the new residence for the Association, recently ceded by the municipal government of La Orotava as a new center for the work and activities of Apanate.
And here a closeup of the new centre.
Well that was a lovely lunch and afternoon. I was able to catch up on news chatting with a good friend of mine who had just returned from a long holiday. The next Friends of Tenerife event will be an evening dinner with Canary Folk Dancing on Dia de Canarias, a Canary Islands holiday celebration at the end of this month. I may just make it there as well. It should be an interesting evening!
