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Maggiano’s Brunch with Purpose and Make a Wish

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Disclosure: We were provided with a meal to test out the food and share it with you, but Make A Wish holds a special place in my heart and I would have done this post without the meal. 

On our anniversary, less than 48 hours after my husbands tonsillectomy, we drove the 45 minutes into Downtown Denver to learn and support a cause that is close to my heart.  Brunch with a Purpose is a partnership between Maggiano’s and Make a Wish to raise money to fulfill wishes for people dealing with life threatening diseases and disorders.

maggiano's brunch

Make a Wish is an organization that I truly love.  I feel like the work that they do to provide families with their biggest wishes and give hope to those going through some of the hardest times is amazing. A few years ago, our little neighbor kid was granted a wish through Make A Wish. We watched this family fight to keep him alive, fight to stay together and struggle to enjoy life and then Make A Wish stepped in, gave them a break and hope and allowed them to just be the fantastic family that they are now.  The little guy beat his disorder, he is thriving and he can look back on his fight with some good memories to go along with the not so good.  How beautiful is that.

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Maggiano’s and Make a Wish have teamed up for 14 years to raise over $7,000,000 to grant these wishes through Maggiano’s brunch events.  We were lucky enough to experience Brunch with a Purpose first hand and with a family that is getting some amazing wishes granted!

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Meet Sadie Hohn, a beautiful 9 year old girl who was diagnosed with Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome as an infant.  Not only does Sadie have the disorder, but her siblings, Ethan and Ariana also have it.  I was honored to share a meal with this family and get to know them a bit more.  I learned that Sadie loves cooking and her wish was to bake with Duff Goldman from Ace of Cakes and Kids Baking Championship.  While in LA, they were also going to Universal Studios to enjoy a little Harry Potter, which is another one of her favorite things.  What A WISH!  Sadie was the sweetest little one and you could just see the magic in her eyes as she was talking about her upcoming wish and taking in the evening that was also focused on her.
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We were also seated with the Make a Wish team and were inspired by the stories they were sharing with us. They told us that they had a goal to grant 1000 wishes this year by raising $1,000,000!  They are on track to do it but they need the publics help and it is SO easy to help.  All you do is attend a Brunch with a Purpose event at Maggiano’s Little Italy, and for each Maggiano’s brunch entree you purchase, $1.00 will be donated to Make A Wish!  That is easy enough.
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We got to sample the entire Maggiano’s brunch menu and by the end of the meal I was so stuffed, so emotional and so impressed.  Not only was Sadie just adorable as all get out, but her family was just so fun.  We found out that all three kids were getting wishes granted and I would say that Ethan’s wish was my favorite. For his wish they were going to NYC and taking in Hamilton on Broadway!  Arianna’s wish was pretty awesome too.  A trip to Hawaii to swim with dolphins.  Honestly, I was so impressed with the positivity and outgoing attitude this family has even though they are continually battling this disorder.

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We first sat down to this super tasty orange streusel cake, while we learned more about the Hohn family, and their life’s passions, and of course their experience with Make A Wish.  My husband was in a ton of pain from his surgery, but he ate the entire cake and part of mine too.  It was very good and just the right start to the brunch.

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From there we tasted both options of their eggs Benedict and our table had some fun conversations on each of our favorites! The options for eggs Benedict is either a meatball or a crab cake.  I didn’t have the heart to let the chef know that eggs and I are not the best of friends and I have a mild allergy to them, so I dove in and had a sample taste of each.  It was a small price to pay.  I would say that the meatball was my preference as I enjoy more traditional breakfasts and although I love crab, I have never been able to get behind crab cakes.  However, our table was pretty split between the two, so I would say you really cannot go wrong either way!

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Since Sadie loved cooking and baking, we were treated to a little cooking class on the famous Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.  It was great watching Sadie learn how to make the pancakes and we all had a few laughs as it took 3 people to whip the cream into heavenly froth!  Watching Sadie learn and laugh was all I needed to see.  I know that her wish is going to be a phenomenal experience for her and her family.

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Speaking of those pancakes.  HOLY YUM!  I am not even kidding.  They were so good.  I love ricotta cheese already but add a little lemon into a pancake and now I have a slight addiction. Luckily we were given the recipe to try at home too, and try at home I did!  My attempt was not as pretty, but it sure was just as scrumptious.  Out of all the food we tried this was my absolutely favorite!

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To round out this awesome event, we experienced the vegetable frittata and the creme brûlée french toast.  At this point I was STUFFED.  I tasted both entree options, they too were great and worthy of a big thumbs up from me.  Honestly, all of the food was awesome and the quality that Maggiano’s always produces.

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If you want to support Make a Wish, you can attend any of their Brunch with a Purpose events.  You will not be disappointed and what a wonderful way to be a part of granting those wishes.  We enjoyed our experience and I know that you would too.

Have you tried Maggiano’s Brunch yet?

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