CDAIDE

10/15/2026

CDAIDE’s 6th Annual Chef Challenge was an incredible evening—and it wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing community that showed up to make it happen.

To our generous sponsors, our talented competing chefs (Anthony Buttice, Brian Kincaid, James Seidler, Josh Stidman, Ken Glessner, Travis Dickinson), our judges (Joshua Lozano, KHQ Hayley Guenthner and Laura Dale), our emcees (Mike Kennedy and .backs), Lacey Green Photography, , , , our dedicated volunteers, and every guest who joined us and supported our mission—thank you.

A special thank you to the Hagadone Event Center and its incredible staff for helping us bring this event to life, and to the many businesses and individuals who donated goods, services, raffle items, time and talent.

Most of all, thank you to our community for continuing to stand behind the hospitality workers who serve us every day.

Because of you, CDAIDE can be there when they need someone in their corner.

And congratulations to the winning Chef! Chef Anthony Buttice, from the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel, won both the best appetizer and the cooking challenges to take home the prize belt!

With gratitude,

CDAIDE

10/14/2026

Wednesday, October 14 — IT’S CHEF CHALLENGE DAY! 🔥
TONIGHT’S THE NIGHT! 🔥🍴

After months of planning, introductions, stories, and anticipation, the 6th Annual CDAIDE Chef Challenge is finally here!

Tonight, six incredible local chefs will step up to the challenge:

Chef Anthony Buttice — Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel
Chef Brian Kincaid — Seasons of Coeur d'Alene Fresh Grill & Bar
Chef James Seidler — Avondale Bar and Grill
Chef Josh Stidman — Pilgrim's Market
Chef Ken Glessner — Bardenay Restaurant & Distillery
Chef Travis Dickinson — Cochinito Taqueria

They’re ready to cook. Our judges are ready to taste. And YOU get to help decide who takes home the Chef Challenge crown.

But before the first dish is served tonight, we want to say something important:

Thank you.

Thank you to our chefs, sponsors, judges, volunteers, board members, partners, donors, and every person joining us tonight.

The Chef Challenge is a celebration of great food and the incredible talent in our local hospitality industry—but it exists for a much bigger reason.

Behind every apron is a person.

A neighbor. A parent. A friend. Someone working hard to take care of others.

Tonight, our community gets to show them that we’re behind them, too. ❤️ That’s what CDAIDE is all about.

📍 Hagadone Event Center
🕠 5:30 PM TONIGHT
See if tickets are still available: https://auctria.events/CDAIDEChefChallenge

Come hungry. Come ready to cheer on your favorite chef. And come ready for an unforgettable evening of food, competition, and community.

❤️ CDAIDE | Serving Those Who Serve

10/10/2026

Our Executive Director, Jason Nye, was on the news today! Thank you, KHQ Local News, for having him on and highlighting our Chef Challenge event!

The Chef's Challenge features top chefs and fresh-cooked food in Coeur d'Alene.

10/09/2026

Behind every apron... is a community. ❤️

For months, we’ve introduced you to chefs. We’ve talked about incredible food, the competition, the judges, the raffle, and everything waiting for you at Chef Challenge.

But five days before we gather at the Hagadone Event Center, we want to come back to the reason this night exists in the first place.

People.

The server who makes your anniversary dinner special. The cook working behind the line on a packed Friday night. The housekeeper preparing a room for your family’s visit. The bartender who remembers your favorite drink. The dishwasher, host, barista, banquet server, resort employee—and countless others who help make Coeur d’Alene a place we're proud to call home.

They take care of our community every day. And when one of them encounters an unexpected hardship, CDAIDE exists so their community can take care of them, too. That’s what the Chef Challenge is really about.

Yes, we’ll eat. We’ll laugh. We’ll watch six talented chefs compete. And we'll cast our votes. But together, we'll also make sure our local hospitality workers know something important:

Their community is behind them.

❤️ Behind every apron... is a community.

And this community shows up.

📅 Chef Challenge | October 14 | 5:30 PM
📍 Hagadone Event Center
Get your ticket at: https://auctria.events/CDAIDEChefChallenge

CDAIDE | Serving Those Who Serve

10/07/2026

✈️ Where would YOU go? 🌴

Dinner. Competition. A great cause...and maybe your next vacation!

We’re excited to share this year’s Chef Challenge raffle prize, and it’s a BIG one:

TWO roundtrip airline tickets to anywhere in Central or North America—including Hawaii—served by Alaska or Hawaiian Airlines. The unrestricted coach-class tickets are valued at up to $3,500!

TWO Samsonite Ziplite 7 hardside spinner carry-ons in teal and steel blue, valued at $300 each.

That makes this an incredible $4,100 travel package! 🎉

🎟️ Raffle tickets are $50 each and will be available at the Chef Challenge.

Just imagine...one $50 raffle ticket could have you packing those new suitcases for your next adventure.

So now we have to ask, if you won, where would you go? Hawaii? Mexico? Somewhere you've always wanted to visit? Tell us in the comments 👇—and then join us October 14 for your chance to win!

📅 Wednesday, October 14, 2026
🕠 5:30 PM
📍 Hagadone Event Center
Get your ticket at: https://auctria.events/CDAIDEChefChallenge

Come for the food. Stay for the competition. And you just might leave planning a vacation.

❤️ CDAIDE | Serving Those Who Serve

10/06/2026

🚨 ONLY 16 SEATS LEFT! 🚨

You all showed up in a BIG way this weekend. ❤️ After a rush of Chef Challenge ticket sales, we are officially down to just:

16 individual tickets OR 2 tables of 8

And then... CHEF CHALLENGE 2026 IS SOLD OUT.

If you've been thinking about coming, gathering a table, or telling yourself, “I need to get those tickets...” This is the moment.

On October 14, we'll fill the Hagadone Event Center for an unforgettable evening featuring:

👨‍🍳 Six talented local chefs competing live
🍴 Appatizers for you to taste
🏆 Your chance to vote for your favorite
🍽️ Dinner catered by Malvagio's Italian Trattoria & Catering Co.
❤️ And a room full of people coming together to support the hospitality workers who make our community so special.

🎟️ Tickets: $125
🍽️ Table of 8: $1,000
📅 Wednesday, October 14
🕠 5:30 PM
📍 Hagadone Event Center
Get your ticket at: https://auctria.events/CDAIDEChefChallenge

16 seats. That's it. Once they're gone, they're gone. And after the way tickets moved this weekend, we wouldn't count on them being available much longer.

Grab yours and help us fill those final two tables. ❤️

CDAIDE | Serving Those Who Serve

10/02/2026

As we get closer to Chef Challenge, we have a couple of changes to share with this year’s chef lineup.

Unfortunately, Chef Justin Lee from The Coeur d'Alene Golf & Spa Resort and Chef Cameron Goode from Twigs Bistro - Coeur d'Alene are no longer able to join us on October 14.

We’re so grateful that they were willing to be part of this year’s Chef Challenge, and we completely understand that life—and restaurant life!—doesn’t always cooperate with the calendar. ❤️ We appreciate their support of CDAide and our local hospitality community and hope to see them at a future Chef Challenge.

And now for the exciting news...

Please help us welcome two talented chefs who have stepped up to join this year’s competition!

Chef Travis Dickinson from . He's relinquishing his position as a judge at this year's event and putting his chef hat back on!

Chef Ken Glessner from is returning to take another shot at the belt!

We’re incredibly grateful to both of them for jumping in, and we can’t wait to see what they bring to the Chef Challenge kitchen!

With our updated lineup in place, October 14 is shaping up to be one seriously delicious night.

WATCH six local chefs compete.
TASTE their creations.
VOTE for your favorite.
SUPPORT the hospitality workers who make our community special.

📅 Wednesday, October 14, 2026
🕠 5:30 PM
📍 Hagadone Event Center
🎟️ Tickets: $125 | Tables of 8: $1,000
Get your ticket at: https://auctria.events/CDAIDEChefChallenge

Different lineup. Same great competition. Same important mission.

CDAIDE | Serving Those Who Serve

09/30/2026

We’re TWO WEEKS away from Chef Challenge!

On October 14, the Hagadone Event Center will come alive for one of our favorite nights of the year—and we want you there.

If you’ve never been to Chef Challenge, here’s what you can expect:

🔥 WATCH six talented local chefs go head-to-head in a live cooking competition.

🍴 TASTE the appetizer creations they prepare—and decide which one earns your vote.

🏆 VOTE for your favorite and help determine this year’s winner.

🍽️ ENJOY a delicious buffet dinner.

🥂 GATHER your friends, coworkers, clients, or favorite foodies for a night out at the beautiful Hagadone Event Center.

❤️ And most importantly, HELP CDAIDE continue Serving Those Who Serve.

The Chef Challenge is a lot of fun. But behind the food, competition, and celebration is a very real purpose: supporting the hospitality workers who spend their careers taking care of our community.

Two weeks. Six chefs. One delicious night with a whole lot of purpose.

📅 Wednesday, October 14, 2026
🕠 5:30 PM
📍 Hagadone Event Center
🎟️ Tickets: $125 | Tables of 8: $1,000

Tickets are on sale now at https://auctria.events/CDAIDEChefChallenge

Already have your tickets? Help us fill the room by sharing this post and tagging the people you want at your table. ❤️

CDAIDE | Serving Those Who Serve

09/29/2026

🔥 THE CHEF CHALLENGE LINEUP KEEPS GETTING HOTTER! 🔥

We’ve introduced some incredible culinary talent already, and today we’re excited to welcome two more chefs to the 6th Annual CDAIDE Chef Challenge!

Chef Josh Stidman from Pilgrim's Market

Chef James Seidler from Avondale Bar and Grill

On October 14, these talented chefs will step into the Chef Challenge kitchen and put their creativity and skills to the test—all while helping us support the hospitality community they’re a part of.

And remember, this isn’t a competition you just watch from your seat.

🔥 WATCH the action.
🍴 TASTE the creations.
🏆 VOTE for your favorite.

It’s great food, friendly competition, and a night that helps CDAIDE continue Serving Those Who Serve.

📅 Wednesday, October 14, 2026
🕠 5:30 PM
📍 Hagadone Event Center
🎟️ Tickets: $125 | Tables of 8: $1,000
Get your ticket at: https://auctria.events/CDAIDEChefChallenge

And just when you thought you’d met everyone... we still have more Chef Challenge news coming your way.

Stay tuned!

09/28/2026

The Chef Challenge is just one night. Its impact lasts much longer. ❤️

On October 14, we'll gather for great food, friendly competition, and a lot of fun. But behind all of it is a much bigger reason for being there.

Every day, hospitality workers throughout our community show up for us. They prepare our meals. Pour our coffee. Welcome our visitors. Clean our hotel rooms. Celebrate our milestones with us. And create so many of the experiences that make Coeur d'Alene feel like home.

And sometimes, one unexpected event can turn their lives upside down.

A medical emergency. A car that suddenly won't start. An unexpected expense when there's simply no room left in the budget. That's when CDAide can step in.

The Chef Challenge helps make that possible.

So when you purchase a ticket, reserve a table, sponsor the event, or simply help us spread the word, you're doing more than supporting a fundraiser. You're helping us be there when someone who spends their life serving others suddenly needs someone in their corner.

That's the real reason behind Chef Challenge.

📅 October 14, 2026 | 5:30 PM
📍 Hagadone Event Center
🎟️ $125 per ticket | $1,000 table of 8
Get your ticket at: https://auctria.events/CDAIDEChefChallenge

Come for the food. Come for the competition. Come for the people we're here to serve. ❤️

CDAIDE
Serving Those Who Serve