PORT ANGELES — It may seem incongruous to feature a cook renown for her pies at a luncheon to promote heart health.
But Kate McDermott, Port Angeles’ nationally known pie chief, will explain how baking can be good for learning more about caring for oneself when she speaks Friday, according to Bruce Skinner, executive director of the Olympic Medical Center Foundation, which will host the 15th annual Red, Set, Go! Heart Luncheon.
“On the face of it, it would seem that making pie wouldn’t lead to a healthy heart,” Skinner said in a press release.
“But as Kate will explain, you can learn lessons from making pie, and get through recovering from heart disease and other challenges using a step-by-step process through baking.”
“Making pie teaches us how to take care of ourselves,” said McDermott, a 2017 James Beard Finalist in the contest recognized as the Academy Awards for cooking.
McDermott is known for Pie Camp: The Skills You Need to Make Any Pie You Want, Home Cooking with Kate McDermott, and the best-selling Art of the Pie, currently in its fourth printing.
Tickets still remain for the luncheon, which will presented by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe virtually and in person at Vern Burton Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles, from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Individual tickets are $60. Those who want to attend virtually will be told how they can attend online when they purchase tickets. Those who attend in person will find tables spaced out for social distancing. They will be asked to show proof of vaccination or a negative test for COVID-19
McDermott will be part of what Skinner calls the best ever lineup of speakers, which will include Dr. Joshua Jones, who will speak on the mental aspect of recovery; Dr. Kara Urnes, OMC Heart Center director; Julie Hatch, who will deliver a survivor story; and Dr. John Mignone from Swedish Medical Center in Seattle.
The luncheon’s purpose is two-fold — to raise awareness about heart health for women and serving as the primary fundraising event for the OMC Heart Center.
Funds from the 2022 event will go toward the purchase of a Mobile C-arm X-Ray that will provide for the support that is needed for the OMC Heart Center’s new leadless pacemaker program. It also has multiple other uses, and will be used to improve care for orthopedic and general surgery, Skinner said.
As an educational event, the lunch promotes the key to eradicating heart disease is education.
“The purpose of our event is to inspire women to become more educated on how to improve their heart health,” Urnes said.
Persons interested in sponsoring or attending the event can contact the Foundation office at 360-417-7144 or buy their tickets at www.omhf.org.
