WIT After Hours Soirée at the Library

Enjoy an evening of French themed food and beverages, at the Rochester Public Library, after hours, on Saturday, January 25th. Support our library with a night joie de vivre featuring speakers, spirits, and French cuisine with the Rochester Public Library Foundation!

Main Soirée includes Beverages, Beef Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, Ratatouille, Quiche, Potato Dauphinois and Crepes plus Nothing Bundt Cakes Bundtinis for desserts.  Enjoy Speakers:

Maria Serbus – Find Your Joie de Vivre: De-stress and Build Joy - Maria Serbus is a coach, consultant & keynote speaker. Maria’s mission is to help leaders & entrepreneurs overcome overwhelm, stress, & self doubt through mind-body practices to embrace unshakeable confidence & create a life they love. As a former occupational therapist working in healthcare for eight years, Maria loves incorporating science-backed strategies with holistic practices to help other high achievers & fast paced minds overcome mindset blocks and forward their mission in the world.  Outside of her professional pursuits, Maria resides in southeast Minnesota with her family – her husband, son, and two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, listening to podcasts, meditation, embracing the outdoors, and spending time with her family from movie nights to dance parties.

Evan Hansen – Portage Across Minnesota  - Evan Hansen is a Rochester, Minnesota native who stumbled into the role of a suicide prevention advocate over the last several years. After his adventure-based philanthropic, “Portage for a Purpose” campaign successfully raised over $50,000 for the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Southeast Minnesota, he continued his journey in the form of storytelling. When he’s not working as a Certified Peer Support Specialist for Zumbro Valley Health Center, Evan spends his extra time traveling across Minnesota sharing his story, promoting his book titled, “Into the Wind,” and listening to others as they share their own stories of struggle and hope.  In his free time Evan also enjoys planning his own domestic/international outdoor expeditions, riding motorcycles through the Driftless Area of southern Minnesota, and snuggling up on the couch with his cat, Bear.

UPGRADE to our VIP pre-party, with Empire Event Center's Chef Seth Essar; Intro to French Cooking 4:30-6:30pm

The Five Mother Sauces - Pre-Soirée Sauces!! You'll learn about the five mother sauces, tricks to perfect them, and how to bring French cuisine into your own cooking. You'll get to sample some delightful appetizers, enjoy Chef Seth's cooking demonstration (along with taste tests), plus chilled sauces to take home, recipes, and a whole lot of fun!    VIP SESSION INCLUDES entrance to Main Soirée

Appetizers - Sweet tart duck breast with Cherry Sauce, Smoked Salmon Canapes, Brie Encroute with Marmalades and Fruit Compotes.

Cooking has always been in Chef Seth Essar’s blood; His father was a culinarian who studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France and inspired in him a life-long love for food from a young age. His career has spanned creating spectacular dinner parties at private residences, running restaurants, and putting together sumptuous banquet displays at famous hotels. Chef Seth has been classically trained in the art of Sushi, French, Indian and Italian cuisines. Over the years he has worked with and learned from many talented chefs from all over the world. The kitchen is where he finds his Zen. It’s his passion to keep food styles funky, fresh, and sexy! His dishes will tantalize and take you on a magical journey you will remember for years to come. Chef Seth serves as the Regional Food and Beverage Director at the Empire Hotel Group in Rochester.

Registration opens at 6:15pm for the Main Event and 4:30pm for the VIP French Cooking Demo.

A special thank you to our 2025 Sponsors

SOIRÉE - Mayo Clinic

L'ENREGISTREMENT - Captrust

MEDIA - KIMT

RÉJOUIR - Carol & Keith Hartley

Gold - Hiller's Flooring, Lemke Pest Control, Raymundo McCauley Family Fund, Think Mutual Bank, University of Minnesota Rochester

Silver - Alerus Bank, Altra Federal Credit Union, Coulee Bank, HGA, National Fleet Graphics, Olmsted Medical Center, Smith Schafer

Bronze - Amy Swain Hearing Centers, Beth Nienow, Bill Duncan CPA, Charter House, Elder Law Office of Julianne Kocer, Grinde & Dicke Law, Firm, Joanne & Dick Rosener, Julie Brock Consulting, Overdrive, Premier Banks, Wings Financial Credit Union