HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And thank you all so much for all of your continued support here at Stu and The Kids. This year was a really fun time with the kids on New Years Day and the day after. You see the kids had a week off from school and they were practising songs and dance moves for their new years party. Every year it is great party but this year it was going to last 2 days and they also had a Miss Hill Tribe beauty contest too.

I got to be a bit of a judge as well as giving out gifts to some of the kids after the show. Check out the photos to see all that went down.

I arrived back in Chiang Mai on Sunday evening the 28th of September and was so happy to be back. I waited 2 days due to some killer jet-lag to call the kids and let them know I was home. I needed to see them for many reason but most of all to give them their monthly expense money, room and board, etc.

We met at SP Gai Yang, one of the best roast chicken places I have ever been to. When my girlfriend Oy and I arrived it was big hugs all around. 5 month of not seeing or speaking to them other than on Facebook is a long time. Their English has gotten really good thanks to the great teachers they have at the school they started in May as well as studying everyday after class. They are really heard workers, hungry for a better life. They just finished their mid-term tests and they all say they did really well and we will find out their grades in a week.

They told me that after 2 years at the technical school that they really want to continue and goto a local 4 year university. I am hopeful that once Stu and The Kids gets it’s 501c3, tax exempt status (just waiting for the ok from the government, 9 months to a year) that we will be able to raise more funds and these kids will be able to achieve their goals.

Normally I would go back to the Wat Don Chan and start teaching again but there is a 2 week holiday so I will wait. This will give me time to work on this site, a logo and set up more social media. Thanks for swing by here to see what is going on, be well. -Stu

On September 14th just 2 weeks before I left LA I cooked for Rick & Anne Fisher and a bunch of great people. I was lucky enough to have my dear friend and great chef, Deb to help me. You see Rick bought a raffle ticket at the Stu and His Friends fundraiser and he won. We had 3 prizes, dinner at Republique for 2, Matt and Stella won that one and they loved it. Walter cooked them a special 6 course meal and Matt sent pictures to me the whole time they were eating. Deb, who never wins anything, won a gift certificate for $100 off at any one of the Patina group restaurants. And Rick & Anne won me, cooking for 18 people at their house. It was meant to be for 8 people but since Rick works for LA Specialty, they donated the produce and Matt from Wolfgang Puck Catering got all of the meat and seafood donated, so why not cook for more.

Rick told me to invite all of the board members that are helping with the soon to be tax-exempt, nonprofit Stu and The Kid charity, Rick is a board member too. I cooked, green curry with chicken, fried omelettes with ground pork, a noodle dish with chicken, pork satay’s with peanut sauce, spicy papaya salad, spicy ground pork with green beans and Thai basil, spicy shrimp soup, Thai fruits, sticky rice and mango and a beverage of tamarind and lemon grass that we mixed with a lil booze, so good on such a warm day.

We had such a great time and maybe at the next fundraiser I will do that again but maybe for 2 or 3 prizes, why not.

On August 9th we, Stu and The Kids had an amazing event called Stu and His Friends. It was a group of amazing people from the Los Angeles food and beverage world all coming together for 1 reason, to help the kids. We had over 100 people there, eating, drinking, biding on silent auction items, collecting raffle prizes and learning about the great kids that we work with here in Chiang Mai. Yes, I am back here and yes I know it has been a long period of time and should have written this sooner and you will understand why as you read on.

It was a ton of work to put this together and months of planning. On the day of the event we had deliveries made, table set up, electric wires connected and all the rest of it that goes along with setting up such a large event, our biggest ever. I want to thank everyone that was there that day, evening and the folks that stayed at the end to break down. Here you go……….Matty Bencivenga., LA Specialty, Wolfgang Puck Catering, Republique, Eric Greenspan, Red Bird, Warren’s Blackboard, Rick Fisher, Cooks County, Helm’s Bakery, Bodega Wine Bar, Susina Bakery, Savore Catering, Patina Catering, Playa Provisions, Solsticio Wines, Jason Winters, Josh and Bex Terry, Joanna Gillis, Christine West, Ben Shafrir, Matt Cohen, Lauren Nicole, Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill, Golden Road Brewery, The Ensaymayda Project, Six Degrees Marketing and Branding, George, Mike Glick, Chefs to End Hunger, Erik Fisher, Martin Mancha, Sarah, Sara and Wade. I sure hope I am not forgetting anyone. Love you all so much and cannot thank you enough for all of your continued support.

We made a bunch of money that night for the kids and the best part of it is we got help to set Stu and The Kids up as a tax-exempt, non-profit charity, a real 501c3. The very kind Mike Glick from LA Specialty and Chefs to End Hunger has been paying the fees for everything we need to get set up. Since the event we have been working on all of that paperwork, budgets, by-laws, tax forms, etc., with the help of the board members and a few other angels, Deb, Joanna, Christine, Jenna, Mike, Rick, Bill (from Bracken’s Kitchen) and Lisa, thank you, thank you, thank you. This could not have happened without you all. Still more to do but we have a tax ID number and a letter of incorporation, now it is just the waiting game, 9-18months……..

I cannot wait until we have the official status, we are going to have an even bigger fundraiser/launch party. I will stay in Chiang Mai until then. Keep a look out here to see what else is coming, so excited. Peace, -Stu

AUGUST 9, 2014 – 7 to 10 PM
5150 WILSHIRE BLVD. LA CA, 90036 (WILSHIRE & LA BREA)

• $90 for admission and a whole lot of delicious food to eat and beverages to drink.
• $110 includes a raffle ticket for 1 of 3 great prizes.

(Please purchase your tickets online before the event, Thank You!)

Dinner for 2 at Republique or $100 gift certificate to any of the Patina Group restaurants or a Thai-family style meal prepared  by me, Stu, in your home for up to 8 people. All 3 prizes will be given away on this evening and extra raffle tickets will be available for sale for $20 each at the event.

We will also be doing a silent auction with some beautiful Thai photos mounted on bamboo, hand-made hill tribe items, and gift certificates to some of LA’s great restaurants and a few other cool places.

The Stu and His Friends event for stuandthekids.org is about having a really fun evening with lot’s of good food, good drinks and good friends, oh and all for such a great cause, THE KIDS. I have reached out to a bunch of my friends which include some really talented chefs and asked them to cook up some amazing food, whatever they wanted to make but it has to have a Thai twist. The evening will be set up like a Thai-street market with music, food and beverages, including some great wine and beer. www.stuandthekids.org would like to thank you for all of your support this evening. All of the proceeds from this event will go to help up to 5 Hill Tribe kids from Northern Thailand to continue their education by having a chance to go to a university or technical school. Your contributions will help to pay for their college tuition, school uniforms, schoolbooks and supplies, housing and food. Thank you so much for helping these kids to have a chance to have choices for their futures. – Stu

* PARKING WILL BE AVAILABLE BEHIND BMW AT WILSHIRE AND ORANGE OR ON THE STREET WHERE FREE, READ THOSE SIGNS.

I want to thank those of you that were there as well thank you so much to the people that were not able to come but sent us a donation. It was such a blast. We had 72 people, 25 more then the 2 previous fundraisers at Blueplate and we raised a lot more money, $4200, AMAZING! The food was great, the company was great and all for the kids. Just from this night we raised almost enough for 1 kid to goto technical school for 2 years.

I am now in the process of getting everything ready for the Los Angeles fundraiser on August 9th……..Updates coming soon. Peace, -Stu.

Well, we did it……The fundraiser at Blueplate on Sunday, May 18th is booked and so many people still want to support the kids so we are adding a second night. If you were unable to get a reservation, you can now by calling Blueplate restaurant at 1-856-478-2112 for Monday, May 19th. I hope to see you there, thanks so much for the support, -Stu.

Well since I am going home for a visit it is also time to have another great fundraiser at Blueplate in Mullica Hill, NJ. This year I have planned a great new menu except for you will be seeing the sweet and spicy green curry with chicken again, it seems to be a favourite of everyones. I wanted to do something different and everyone told me “NO, we love it” so I am doing it again. Also this year we have gotten a lot of interest so if we sell out the first night we will add an additional night the next day, Monday the 19th of May. I really hope this happens, I would love to cook for more people as well as spreading the word about Stu and the kids so we can help even more kids this coming year. The goal this time is $25,000 (this year from all fundraising, not just the dinner at Blueplate) and this will help 5 kids to continue their education, this includes school, uniforms, books, food and rent. I am also planning a very big fundraiser in Los Angeles with several famous, very talented chefs and that one will be in August. Stay tuned…………

Well time for another graduation for the kids at the Wat Don Chan and this makes my 5th time attending. I am as always so sad to see them go but so happy for them. A few of the kids are going to stay at the Wat and take some college course while others are moving on to work, university or back to their villages to help their families. Stu and the kids will be helping Mimi and Sum Yot continue their education and we are all so excited. Today I saw both of them to give them their money for their first semester and their first months rent as well as getting money for books and uniforms.

I am heading off to the states to see family and friends and work, this year has been tough with having that heart attack. I am not mad, it was a great wake up call and I am in better shape and healthier than ever. My girlfriend Oy will be stepping in to meet with Mimi, Sum Yut and Tanagone to give them their monthly allowance for rent and food and keeping tabs on them while I am gone. I also plan to do a lot of fundraising while I am in the states, it is turning out to be a lot more work this time but we are hoping to raise enough funds for 5 kids next year so we must step up our game. I will be porting about these events very soon.

After the graduation ceremony I gave out the computers that were donated to Stu and the Kids. The kids and I would like to thank Nik from Australia and Andrey from Russia for these. Good luck to all of the kids that graduated this year and hope to see you all again sometime.

These hill tribe kids are from the Sarape Technical school in Sarapee, Chiang Mai. Some of them have been studying accounting and some took computer business classes. I met them last semester when a friend of mine, Arjan Jo and their Logistics teacher asked me to do a 3 month English course for them. Since I am a volunteer at the Wat Don Chan, time was limited but we figure every Friday for 3 hours would work. I had to have a friend Lynn Anderson pick up a few classes for me but it all worked out in the end and the connection with the kids was so great.

We studied things like basic introductions and conversation, food and how to order food and ask questions in restaurants, school, what they study and what they want to do when they finish school and many other basics. Every class was full of enthusiastic questions and they even asked me to give them homework. When we finished our last class, Arjan Jo and I took the kids to a hotel for a very nice buffet lunch, it was a blast. After taking pictures I told them I would see them at graduation. We were all excited to see each other and after the ceremony we made some snacks like mini bruschetta and chocolate dipped fruit and had a karaoke party. I wish them all the best in the future and look forward to seeing their progress.