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Island School to hold ‘Bombay in Boca’ Tarpon Ball

STAFF REPORT – The grandeur of Bombay at it’s pinnacle will be celebrated at the second annual Tarpon Ball that will be held on Saturday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. on the grounds of the Amory Chapel.

“Bombay in Boca” will feature all the Maharajahs and Maharanis of Boca Grande dressed in their finest colorful saris, kurtas and sherwanis, and those who attend will have a chance to bid on a whole new series of painted tarpon in the now-famous auction. All proceeds benefit The Island School.

“These are beautifully painted, four-foot tarpon molds created by locally and internationally known artists,” said Michael Moffat, the chairman of The Island School board. “The whole evening is set against a backdrop of the exotic sights and sounds of India, the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire.”

Co-Chaired by Cory Moffat, Montell Marra and Tammy Miller, the night will include cocktails, and an Indian feast prepared by Gene Marra of The Palmetto Grill.

Marra looks to this event as quite a challenge, particularly because one primarily cooking element is missing – a kitchen.

“I’m very familiar with Indian foods, it’s one of my favorite types to eat,” he said. “It’s difficult cooking for that many people without a kitchen, but we’ll be preparing some of it at the restaurant, some of it at my house. We may even try to kettle-fry some Indian breads there.”

Items on the menu will feature a chicken garam curry, a lamb vindaloo, a tandori shrimp appetizer, Kingfisher beer and an aperitif of mango and yogurt.

Because Marra didn’t want to make the spiciness over the top, “boys,” or Indian condiments, will be at each table to provide additional toning down or firing up of the dishes served.

“It will be served buffet-style,” Marra said. “I think it’s going to be fun. Our ‘boys’ on the tables will include a chutney, one will be a mint raita, and there will be nuts as well.”

This year a new twist on the musical entertainment has come about. Cory Moffat said while it was virtually impossible to find a band that was available that could cover all the bases, they found a new way to stay with their Bombay theme.

“We call it ‘music for mood and dancing’ – it’s a new twist,” she said. “This theme was tricky, and we were trying to find Indian ‘mood music’ at the outset. We knew we needed something for the cocktail and dinner hour and, to round it out, some really great dancing music to carry the party into the wee hours. So we created a fantastic soundtrack for the party that has the hippest new Indian music, all of the most classic cocktail favorites and dinner music, and we’ll end up with a wide variety of dance music that is guaranteed to keep everyone on their toes.”

The night’s music will be provided by DJ Joe Torres, who is also an Island School dad and local businessman.

Artists included in the tarpon auction this year include internationally-known aquatic artist Guy Harvey, as well as local artists Esther Dunbar-Cullum, Patti Middleton, Kelly Reark, John Mitchell, Jonathan Hatch and Rich Krohn.

The tarpon are on display in area stores for the next few days so that people can identify their favorites to prepare their bids.

In addition there will be a silent auction and Indian bazaar with jewelry, furnishings and objects d’art.

Top-level “Taj Mahal” sponsors for this year’s Tarpon Ball are All-Phase custom Millwork, Bayson Company, the Boca Beacon, Compass Interiors, Gasparilla Properties, Giacinti Builders, Grande Aire Services, Hudson’s Grocery, Italiano Insurance, Timothy G. Dumas, Morgan Keegan and Northern Trust.

“Star of India” sponsors include Gulf-To-Bay Sotheby’s, Key Agency, McHugh-Porter Builders, Englewood Builders, Hartmans’ Print Center, Sarasota Architectural Salvage and the Gasparilla Inn & Club.

“We are so very grateful to these most generous sponsors who make such a positive impact on the success of the Tarpon Ball each year,” said co-chair Tammy Miller.

The Tarpon Ball is the primary fundraising event of the year for The Island School. Because it is a Lee County charter school, it receives only about 60 percent of its funding from state sources. The remaining 40 percent has to be raised within the community.

“We are extremely fortunate that we live in such a generous community,” said Island School Board President Carol Stewart. “This is a community that understands the value of having a school that attracts and retains young working families who do so much to keep the community vibrant and economically and socially diverse.”

The Island School has recently embarked on a campaign, through the formation of The Island School Foundation, to raise an endowment to support the school and to ensure that its success is carried well into the future.

For more information about the Tarpon Ball, call The Island School at 964-8016.