Popular local Indian American restaurateur and celebrity chef Asif Syed of 21 Spices is hosting a special dinner benefiting Operation Smile on Thursday, April 25 at 6:30 PM.  Sponsored by the Naples Woman’s Club, the dinner is $75 per person and will be served family style with a variety of appetizers, entrees, and desserts including non-alcoholic beverages.  The restaurant’s bar and wine list will be available. To view the full menu and register for the event, go to www.napleswomansclub.org.  

Chef Asif has received multiple awards for his extraordinary culinary talent. He has appeared on national television shows including “Beat Bobby Flay” where he actually did beat Bobby Flay in a culinary showdown with his signature dish, Tandoori Chicken.  Chef Asif has also been invited to the Food Network’s New York City Wine & Food Festival for the past two years and was recently in Miami for the third time as a featured chef at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival representing modern Indian cuisine and southwest Florida.

Operation Smile is an international medical charity that has provided hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for children and young adults in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other dental and facial conditions. It is one of the oldest and largest volunteer-based organizations dedicated to improving the health and lives of children worldwide through access to surgical care. Founded in 1982 and based in Virginia, Operation Smile has extended its global reach to more than 60 countries through its network of credentialed surgeons, pediatricians, doctors, nurses, and student volunteers.

The Naples Woman’s Club, founded in 1932, is a non-profit organization that raises funds to support college and vocational scholarships, social service, and non-profit organizations benefiting those in need.