Chef Vinnie Cimino, a three-time James Beard Award nominee and co-owner of Cordelia and ROSY, will craft a family-style menu of short ribs, cornbread and fried chicken with caviar for this year's Exploration fundraiser at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center. The event, set for Saturday, September 26, benefits nature-based learning programs for students who visit the park's 500-acre campus in Peninsula, Ohio.
According to Cleveland.com, the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park will host the gala starting at 5:30 p.m., with cocktails and small bites served along the education center's campus path before dinner. Individual tickets run $250 and include a cocktail hour with a full bar, valet parking, dinner and dessert, per the same report. Guests are asked to RSVP by Friday, September 11, and reservations or sponsorships are available through the Conservancy.
The menu, described as subject to change based on local sourcing, is built around seasonal Cuyahoga Valley flavors and will also feature Ohio street corn alongside the short ribs, cornbread and fried chicken with caviar. The night wraps with camp stories, a guided night hike led by camp staff, and dessert around a campfire — casual fall attire is requested, and the event goes on rain or shine.
A Live Auction Built Around the Park Itself
Beyond dinner, the evening includes a live auction, raffle and 50/50 drawing, with auction items ranging from private dinners prepared by chefs to cabin getaways and guided outdoor adventures, as well as other opportunities to explore Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Proceeds are earmarked to support the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center, which offers immersive outdoor education programs meant to connect young people with nature, spark curiosity, and encourage them to imagine futures as scientists, educators, researchers and conservationists.
That mission carries real financial stakes: more than 40 percent of the elementary and middle school students who attend the center's programs require scholarship or financial assistance, according to GiveSmart. Since its founding in 1994, the center has served more than 70,000 youth through residential overnight programs and over 200,000 more through day programs, as detailed in a release from PR Newswire. The 500-acre campus includes 128 residential beds across two dormitories, two dining halls, and a 40-year-old Learning Garden and Hoop House that was restored in 2023 through a $30,000 local donation, according to reporting from Scriptype.
A Chef With a Growing National Profile
Cimino's presence at the fundraiser arrives amid a stretch of national recognition. Cleveland Magazine reported in March that he was named a finalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes in the James Beard Awards for the second time, having previously reached the final round in 2024 and earned semifinalist status in 2025. Food & Wine also named him one of its 10 Best New Chefs in the United States for 2025, praising his restaurant Cordelia as an homage to Midwest hospitality and regional produce, according to WKYC.
In February, Cimino and business partner Andrew Watts opened ROSY, his wood-fired Ohio City bistro, a 50-seat spot built around ancestral European recipes sourced within 200 miles. Cimino also co-founded Cleveland Family Meal, a nonprofit that provides emergency support to hospitality workers and their families, per Food & Wine Classic.
Setting the Table Inside One of America's Busiest Parks
The gala's backdrop is no small draw either. Cuyahoga Valley National Park recorded 2,860,059 recreational visits in 2023, ranking 11th among national parks nationwide, according to Time Out. Originally established as a national recreation area in 1974 before its redesignation as a national park in 2000, the park spans 32,783 acres along 23 miles of the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron.
Last year's Exploration event, held in September 2024, raised $72,800 for the education center's programs and drew 200 guests to the same campus, celebrating the center's 30th anniversary at the time. Organizers have not said how this year's fundraising goal compares, but the return of a James Beard-nominated chef suggests the Conservancy is hoping to build on that turnout.
