OATS Wild Oats Markets (MM)

The newly opened Naples Wild Oats Marketplace, a leading national natural and organic foods retailer, today announced it will donate $10,000 to three Naples non-profit organizations. The Harry Chapin Food Bank, the Naples Cancer Alliance and the von Liebig Art Center will each receive a portion of this donation from Wild Oats as part of their involvement with the �Wild Chef Cook-Off,� a friendly culinary competition that took place during the Naples Wild Oats Grand Opening Preview Party on Jan. 23. During the �Wild Chef Cook-Off,� three highly acclaimed local chefs, Ralph Feraco, of the Naples Sailing and Yacht Club, Claudio Ferrer, Culinary Instructor at Palmetto Ridge High School and Frank Setera, Culinary Instructor at Gulf Coast High School, prepared three gourmet dishes using fresh, locally caught Lane Snapper and locally grown organic citrus fruits. At the end of the competition, the chefs� creations were rated by area celebrity judges on taste, flavor, creativity, presentation and restaurant worthiness. Chef Claudio Ferrer took home first place in the �Wild Chef Cook-Off� and prepared the following three courses - grilled filet of gingered snapper and Asian slaw served in a rice paper cup; marinated asparagus and arugula salad with citrus bacon dressing; and a timbale of wild brown rice and blueberries served with chai tea soy chocolate sauce. Chef Ferrer partnered with the Cancer Alliance of Naples during the cook-off and the organization will receive $5,000 for the chef�s top prize. The Cancer Alliance of Naples provides cancer survivors with healing resources that augment the medical care they receive. Chef Ralph Feraco and Chef Frank Setera also impressed the judges with their unique culinary creations made from all-natural and organic ingredients from Wild Oats. Chef Feraco partnered with the von Liebig Art Center, which will receive a $2,500 donation from the event. The mission of the von Liebig Art Center is to promote and advance education, interest and participation in the contemporary visual arts. Chef Frank Setera�s charity partner was the Harry Chapin Food Bank, which will also receive a $2,500 donation from Wild Oats. The Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida helps citizens overcome hunger through education and by working in a cooperative effort with affiliated agencies in the procurement and distribution of food. The judges of the �Wild Chef Cook-Off� included � Doris Reynolds, food columnist, editorial consultant and local historian; Karen Feldman, former restaurant critic of the Ft. Myers News-Press and currently with the Florida Gulf Coast University�s (FGCU) quarterly newspaper, Vision; and Amy Wegmann, Fox 4 Rising News Anchor. About Wild Oats Wild Oats Markets, Inc. is a nationwide chain of natural and organic foods markets in the U.S. and Canada with annual sales of more than $1.1 billion. The Company operates 110 natural foods stores in 24 states and British Columbia, Canada. The Company�s markets include: Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, Henry�s Farmers Market, Sun Harvest and Capers Community Markets. For more information, please visit www.wildoats.com. To obtain complete recipes from the �Wild Chef Cook-Off� or for additional information, please contact: Heather Musselman, 303-579-2350.