One of most sought-after items in an Aug. 2 auction benefiting the Leelanau Conservancy will be a wine tasting, cooking lesson and dinner with well-known television chef Mario Batali on Aug. 26.

The minimum bid on the auction item is set at $5,000. The top 12 bidders will join Batali at the Epicure Catering Kitchen at Cherry Basket Farm in Omena on Sunday, Aug. 26, beginning at 4 p.m.

Following a wine tasting, guests will participate in the creation of a meal that will include “frascati with peaches and crostini to start, artichokes, pecorino, fettuccine, lamb, cherries, apricots and the bounty of the Leelanau Peninsula…” according to Batali.

Batali and his family split their time between New York City and Leelanau County. Batali was named “Chef of the Year” in 2005 by the James Beard Foundation.

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