Music, Wine Tasting at Saturday's Bernards Ski Team Fundraiser

This Saturday night is an opportunity to enjoy food, music and a wine tasting provided by the 56 Degree Wine shop in Bernardsville and at the same time raise funds for the Bernards High School Ski Racing Team Fundraiser will help support a high school sport funded completely by parents.

The 9th annual event is scheduled for 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Liberty Corner Firehouse, 95 Church Street, in Liberty Corner.

The event is still on despite the snow, and tickets are available online through Saturday night, said organizer Steve Katz. Tickets can be obtained online at www.bhsskiteam.org.

The Bernards High School Ski Team is part of the New Jersey Interscholastic Ski Racing Association. The 19-member coed team, formed eight years ago, competes in both slalom and giant slalom. The team practices four to five times a week after class. The dedicated members do their homework on the bus traveling to and from practice and meets. The team is 100 percent funded by parents, and the fundraiser.

Wine selections will be provided by 56 Degrees Wine's Chris Cree, one of 29 American Masters of Wine. Cree will choose a selection of his favorite affordable winter artisan wines from small family growers. 

All the wines, affordably priced, will be available at 56 Degrees for those who decide they would like to purchase any of the wine tasted at the function, according to the organizers.

To complement the wine, there will be gourmet food offerings and artisan pizza to be provided by a new Morristown restaurant due to open next week, Millie's Old World Meatballs and Pizza.

Millie’s Pizza is hand crafted with their own home made mozzarella and dough, not mass produced, the organizers said. The team behind Millie’s has two unique ovens. Each oven imparts different flavors and characteristics.
 
The coal fired oven burns at over 1,000 degrees. The wood burning oven, hand built by Italy’s celebrated Ferrara family is imported from Naples. In its intense 800 degree heat a  Margherita pizza will be done in just 90 seconds.

For those who are interested in dessert, there will be  cupcakes made especially for the ski team by the sister bakers at Gigi’s Cupcakes. The flavors will include Espresso Chip Cake with Mocha Butter cream Frosting Coconut Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting and Shredded Coconut and chocolate cake with Mint Ganache.

Team has new coach

The team has a new coach this season, Kevin Malkin. Malkin has coached football, lacrosse and has been a ski coach at Pope John XXIII High School in Sparta, Camelback Mountain and for the United States Skiing and Snowboarding Association.

The evening's music will be provided by the the Psycho-Delics, a local rock and roll band with members Kenny Smith, Berni Ventura, Frank Fumosa, Rick DePaul and Al Rabasca. Smith, vocalist and lead guitarist, has recorded or performed with music greats: Harry Chapin, Ace Frehley(of Kiss), Bobby Vinton, Country Star Lynn Anderson,  James Cotton Blues Band,  Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker and many more.

The proceeds from the event will go directly to fund coaching, lift tickets, buses and equipment for the Bernards High School Ski Racing Team, the only Varsity team not funded by the district.

The ticket price is $65 if purchased before the event, or $75 at the door. To purchase tickets or for more information about the fundraiser, go to www.bhsskiteam.org.

The roster for this year's team is: