‘Chef’ Earl Lennard Raises Thousands for Boys & Girls Club

Brandonites stepped up to the plate April 18 to attend a charity fundraiser that supported boys and girls and featured meals served at the Copper Bell Café by a celebrity chef who oversees elections, before that oversaw schools and in 1960 graduated from Brandon High.

Many of the day’s diners, including Dick Stowers, the namesake of the elementary school that opened in 2009, know Earl Lennard from his childhood days in Riverview.

Others have known him throughout his decades of work in the Hillsborough County School District, which he entered as a first-grader in Palm River and left as the retired superintendent of schools.

Lennard’s job today is as the elected Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.

On April 18, diners knew Lennard as the chef with the hat at the Copper Bell Café on Parsons Avenue, serving up a dish of chicken and yellow rice — with roasted vegetables and a slice of toast with salsa verda — and wearing an apron crafted by his wife, Annabel, which read: “Will Work For Tips.”

As one of six celebrity chefs featured in this  year’s “Cooking For a Cause II,” Lennard earmarked his proceeds from the day’s serving to the Boys & Girls Club of Riverview.

Darren Denington, owner of the Copper Bell, said all proceeds and gratuities raised during each of the six “Cooking For a Cause II” lunch’s prepared by celebrity chefs will be donated that that chef’s selected charity. Serving is from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and the cost of the meal is $10.

“It’s just a win-win, it’s such a fun day and the charities love it,” Denington said. “The celebrity chefs love it, the people come in and get exposed to the café and they love it and we do what we love to do, cooking good food and feeding a lot of people.”

Moreover, he said, charities benefit, last year to the tune of $10,414.87. Last year was the first year “Cooking For a Cause” was instituted.

Its success prompted this year’s charity drive, which started April 11 with Melissa Snively, chair of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, who raised money for the Brandon Outreach Clinic. Lennard’s meal will be followed by celebrity chef offerings on the first four Mondays of May.

Lennard last year raised around $1,800 and his goal this year was to top $2,000. Even before final receipts were counted, Lennard’s draw on April 18 raised some $3,200, according to Denington.

Again, every cent of every meal ticket, plus gratuity, is donated to the celebrity chef’s charity of choice.

Why such a gesture on Denington’s behalf?

As he put it: “The community’s been very good to me and it’s a great way to give back.”

Still to cook in this year’s Cooking For a Cause:

• May 2 — Tony Del Castillo, general manager, St. Petersburgh Brandon Times, cooking for Life Care of Brandon.

• May 9 — Richard Strehl, financial advisor, cooking for the Greater Brandon Community Foundation for which he serves as executive director.

• May 16 — Former state Senate President Tom Lee, cooking for A Kid’s Place.

• May 23 — Tammy Bracewell, president of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, cooking for the YMCA.

Bracewell, Lennard and Del Castillo are returning community chefs. Also Cooking For a Cause in 2010 were Anne Nymark, Mike Fencel and George T. May IV.