Restaurants champion fight to cure breast cancer during annual awareness month

Women are more likely to contract breast cancer than any other form of the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute, which estimates more than 178,000 women and some 2,000 men face that frightening diagnosis each year.

Of those, 40,460 women and 450 men will die.

What's this have to do with a restaurant column? October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and several area restaurants have planned fund-raising events. Here's a sampling of what's happening:

Blu Goes Pink with events planned at Blu's three locations. The restaurants will donate $1 for every drink ordered from the Outrageous Cocktails for the Cure menu, which features pink drinks designed by mixologist Larry "Smokey" Genta, and pink sushi by sushi chefs Kevin and Billy Mak. (The Pink Cadillac consists of spicy salmon, steamed shrimp, cucumber and tempura flakes in Think Pink soy paper while Mrs. Edison's Pink Slip is a variation of Blu's Aloha Mr. Edison with Van Gogh pineapple vodka.) Chance drawings will be held for pink bicycles, surfboards, golf clubs and scooters. The Gulf Coast Town Center location will host all manner of events, including the Oct. 5 launch of Red Bull Cola; an Oct. 11 book signing by Randy Thomas (voice of the Academy Awards, among many other things) with her book "Voice for Hire"; a reggae party on Oct. 17 and 18; the Lee County Library's Chocolate and Spirits Festival on Oct. 25; and the annual Young Professional Halloween Party on Oct. 31. Other events include happy hour parties, gatherings for breast cancer survivors and supporters, fashion shows and wine tastings. For details, contact one of the Blu locations: 13451 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers, 489- 1500; 1170 Third St. South in The Plaza in Olde Naples, (239) 403-9901; or 10045 Gulf Center Drive in Gulf Coast Town Center, 344-BLU3.

The third annual Carve for the Cure will take place at The Flying Pig from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11. Each year, chef/owner Karen Hutto sends out foam jack-o-lanterns to area surgeons and other physicians, who carve them into fetching Halloween decorations. On Oct. 11, they are put up for silent auction during a party that features four food tents. Flying Pig manager Matt Hudson says this year's offerings will include Asian marinated steak, lobster mac and cheese and a dessert station with roasted apple fondue, Thai peanut butter dip and chocolate dip, to name just a few other goodies planned. The Cracker Blues band will perform. All of the money raised goes to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Tickets are $50 each. The catering company is at 7970 Summerlin Lakes Drive, Fort Myers. Call 337-3744.

Handsome Harry's Third Street Bistro, 1205 Third St. South, Naples, holds the seventh annual Women Supporting Women Wine Tasting in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22. Music, wine, food, cosmetics demonstrations and an informal fashion show are included in the $65 ticket price. For details, call Mary Mago at (239) 435-3988 or e-mail womensupportingwomen. naples@gmail.com.