A CULINARY weekend for six in New York City, hosted by chef and Leelanau seasonal resident Mario Batali, is the prize in a raffle sponsored by the Leelanau Conservancy. Tickets go on sale next Wednesday, June 27 for the Leelanau Conservancy’s raffle benefitting farmland preservation efforts in the county.

The top prize is a culinary weekend of a lifetime in New York City as the guest of chef, author and Leelanau seasonal resident Mario Batali.

The winner of the 100-ticket raffle — and five of his or her friends — will enjoy a prize that includes salami and wine tasting and dinner at Otto; a sixcourse tasting menu at Batali’s flagship, Babbo, cooked and served by the chef himself. The prize also takes a behind-the-scenes tour at Eataly along with an olive oil class and lunch of pizza/pasta at the restaurant. To defray travel expenses, the winner will also receive $6,000 in cash.

“Michigan is my second home — my sanctuary from my hectic life in New York City,” Batali said. ‘My family and I are in love with the land, the lake and the farms of Leelanau and I’m honored to help raise money to help it stay protected and beautiful so that future generations can enjoy it as much as we do now.”

Only 100 tickets will be sold and they are priced at $1,000 each.

Tickets are available at the Conservancy’s office at 105 N. First St. in Leland or may be ordered over the phone at 256-9665. Interested buyers may also fill out a raffle entry form on the Conservancy’s website and fax the completed form to 231-256-9693.

The winning ticket will be drawn at the Conservancy Picnic on Aug. 2. The winner does not need to be present and tickets are not transferable. Raffle rules and a complete description of the prize may be found on the Conservancy’s website at www.leelanauconservancy.org.

“We imagine that six people will go together with others to buy one ticket, which brings their costs down to $166 each,” said Carolyn Faught, Conservancy Communications director. “Or a group may decide to buy more than one ticket to increase their odds of winning.

All proceeds from this raffle will help protect farmland in Leelanau.

“So even if you don’t win, you’re still a winner if you help to protect working family farms and our agricultural heritage,” Faught said.

Batali has been involved with the Conservancy’s auction since 2005.

“Mario is incredibly generous with his time and we are very fortunate that he cares so much about our cause,” Faught said. “Right now we have three farm projects pending where we need to raised $620,000 in marching funds in order to receive $1.1 million in Federal Farm and Ranchland Protection project grants.”