A new restaurant is on its way to BoDo and the Boise cultural district. Bonefish Grill will open its doors at Broad and 9th streets at the end of the month. As a way to join in our local community and truly become a part of the cultural district, Bonefish is kicking things off with a benefit for Boise performing arts. Proceeds from the April 25 event will significantly boost the Boise Arts & History Anchor Fund which is split among Boise Contemporary Theater, Ballet Idaho, Opera Idaho, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Boise Philharmonic. Pulling this off has taken a great deal of time, effort and cooperation between the City of Boise and the various organizations involved. Yet the Bonefish Grill team has not swayed in its commitment to good local citizenship. They have actively been involved in planning the event, even going as far as to pay for postage for the more than 800 invitations that went to membership lists. If you didn't get an invitation but want to go, you can. Tickets are available at http://www.cityofboise.org/forms/artsbenefit/

It's not often that you get the opportunity to work with people who truly care and actively seek out ways to give. The first assignment we had from local Bonefish owner John Aemmer was to send him a list of all the major non-profit events going on in the city this year. He was interested in donating auction items and providing chefs for local events. He's followed through, giving more than a dozen "excursion-style" dinners for 8 and 16 as silent auction items for fundraisers and committing one of his chefs to help prepare the meals for the Idaho Foodbank's Chef's Affaire. These are not self serving acts. He wants to be part of the community and he sees the restaurant as an extension of himself. So, he says, "It's the natural thing to do."

This, and the fact that John and the guys from the corporate office hug us rather than shake our hands each time we meet, has been refreshing. There is such a thing as goodness in the corporate world and we are glad it’s just around the corner from us.

-Joanne

Labels: food and beverage, Public Relations