BY LAURA SAMUEL MEYN

By LAURA SAMUEL MEYN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- When faced with the task of coming up with a fund-raiser for Sojourner House, which provides safe shelter for women and children in danger, Nancy Flinn drew inspiration from the popularity of The Food Network.
In particular, she thought of the cooking shows in which star chefs demonstrate recipes before an audience, whose lucky members get to sample the culinary creations. The Mahoning Valley has many terrific cooks, so Flinn thought it would be a great idea to replicate the television-style cooking classes for a local audience.
Her vision will become a reality this Sept. 12, when more than a dozen of the area's best chefs gather at the Chefs' Secrets event at Stambaugh Auditorium.
This benefit event invites attendees to a series of four 30-minute cooking classes, featuring course-by-course selections from appetizers through desserts. Each class will culminate with the audience dining on the dishes they just learned to prepare.
"We've tried to come up with something nobody else is doing," Flinn said. "Wouldn't you love to be sitting there with Emeril? That's what we're looking for -- and you get to pick your menu."
Finding participants
Flinn contacted well-known area chefs to request their participation, and also tapped some of the Valley's best home cooks, such as her friend Terry Cloonan.
"Going to parties at Terry's house is like going to Martha Stewart's," she said. "People try to score invitations to them."
At the Chefs' Secrets events, attendees will have a chance to watch and learn while Cloonan cooks, and then dine on the results.
"I had a very permissive mother; she didn't mind if we made messes -- and I still do," Cloonan said of his early start as a cook. Cloonan now works as vice president and trust officer at Sky Trust, which is sponsoring his portion of the event: his own recipe of crab and corn cakes with jalape & ntilde;o tartar sauce and pepper slaw, adapted from magazine recipes and adjusted according to the input of foodie friends.
To Cloonan, the upcoming event might be even better than The Food Network in a couple of ways: "People will see local chefs working creatively with local ingredients -- things you can really make at home," he said. And because their cooking styles can be so different, he added, "It's nice to have both professional chefs and nonprofessional chefs."
While Cloonan hasn't done a lot of cooking before an audience, he says the good cause prompted him to participate: "Sojourner is a wonderful program, so I'll get over my fear of demonstrating things in public."
Chefs
Flinn's professional chef recruits for the event include Claudia Wheland and Lynn Porch of Chapters at the Poland Library and Winslow's Caf & eacute; at The Butler Institute of American Art.
According to Porch, the duo will prepare a "Mediterranean extravaganza," including the likes of grilled eggplant, portobello mushrooms and bell peppers, plus tabouli and hummus to round out a full Mediterranean appetizer platter.
Like Cloonan, Porch began her culinary training at a very young age: "I started cooking when I was 4 years old," she said, also owing her early start to her mother's influence.
Porch said that participants in the Chefs' Secrets event will gain exposure to international cuisine. "Our goal is that they have a great time and maybe learn something new," she added.
Porch and Wheland, like all of the participating chefs affiliated with restaurants, are donating their time and food to the event. The private chefs are donating their time, with their ingredients being donated by their sponsors.
Exposition area
In addition to the series of cooking classes, the Chefs' Secrets event will feature an exposition area with vendors promoting the area's food-related businesses. There will also be a Chinese auction and a raffle.
Chefs' Secrets will be held on Sunday, Sept. 12, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Stambaugh Auditorium. The cost is $50 person; all proceeds will benefit the Sojourner House Domestic Violence Program.
For more information, visit www.sojournerhouse.com and click on "Chef's Secrets," or call (330) 743-9275, Ext. 110.