AGAWAM – Chez Josef in Agawam is gearing up for the 29th annual Chefs for Jimmy fundraiser, an event designed to aid in the fight against cancer.

Around 30 area restaurants will participate in the fundraiser – presented by Winer Levsky Group of UBS Financial Services Inc. and hosted by the Jimmy Fund Council of Western Massachusetts – at the banquet venue located at 176 Shoemaker Lane.

The event will feature tastings of sample dishes from each of the restaurants, an opportunity drawing and a silent auction, while more than 90 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Jimmy Fund to support patient care and cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

“All of the top restaurants participate – it’s wonderful. They donate their time, food and their chefs – it’s a very upscale evening in terms of quality,” said Michael Katz, co-chair of the committee responsible for organizing the event. “We do a large check presentation every year to the Jimmy Fund where we tally up what we’ve raised, knowing the money we’ve raised is going to either cure cancer at some point or to prolong the life of a child – it’s just a wonderful feeling.”

Participating restaurants and caterers will create dishes and décor to reflect the 2019 event theme an “Enchanted Evening.”

This year’s restaurants include 1105 Main; 350 Grill; Burgundy Brook Café; Cal Mare; Cerrato’s Pasty Shop; Chez Josef; Dana’s Main Street Tavern; Delaney’s Grill & The Mick; Elegant Affairs; Fazio’s Ristorante; Lattitude Restaurant & Events; Leone’s Restaurant; Longmeadow Country Club; Max’s Tavern; Murphy’s Pub; Nadim’s Downtown; Nosh Restaurant & Café; On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina; Palazzo Café; Pierce Brothers Coffee; Pintu’s Indian Restaurant; Rondeau’s Dairy Bar; Shortstop Bar & Grill; Slainte; Steaming Tender; Storrowton Tavern Restaurant & Carriage House; Tekoa Country Club; The Chandler Steakhouse; and The Student Prince Café & The Fort Dining Room.

Katz, who created the event 29 years ago, said he was inspired to do so after his father was diagnosed with leukemia and received treatment from the Dana-Farber Institute.

“My dad received such incredible treatment at Dana-Farber, I wanted to repay the Institute in trying to help with their mission statement. He was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at his local hospital on the Cape and they gave him less than three months to live,” he told Reminder?Publishing. “Through the Dana-Farber, he stayed alive almost three years, as opposed to the three months.

“He was treated so fantastically by not only the doctors, but the parking lot attendants and nurses. They have wonderful specialists and everybody is married to the mission,” he continued.

The Jimmy Fund solely supports Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising funds for adult and pediatric cancer care and research to improve the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world.

The Fund is the official charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Pan-Mass Challenge, and the Variety Children's Charity of New England.

Since 1990, Chefs for Jimmy has raised more than $1.5 million for adult and pediatric cancer care and research at Dana-Farber.

Tickets for the fundraiser are $100 and should be purchased in advance. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.jimmyfund.org/chefs-for-jimmy.