Audience is winner in Sweet & Savory competition
It will be a chef showdown Thursday. But the competition won’t be cutthroat. It will be sweet (and savory) and all for a good cause.
Sweet & Savory is a chef’s competition of about a dozen chefs competing for a People’s Choice award for best savory hors d’oeuvres or sweet treat. The event raises money for Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter to provide programs and resources for abused and neglected children, and unaccompanied teens.
“One of the fun things about this event is that it’s an opportunity for chefs to try something brand new and really be creative with food,” said Erin Hall, executive director of Palmetto Place.
“Chef Suzie (Kerns) and Chef Julie (Taylor) are physicians and first-timers for this event. Chef Coretta (Simmons, of Loving Hands Catering) is a caterer who has been very involved with Palmetto Place, preparing meals for our kids and helping out at events but this is her first time as a chef in this event.”
Chef John Lindower of the Culinary Institute at USC is making a Fireball (as in whiskey) Cheesecake – ID required.
The event will also include a live and silent auction featuring several trips, artwork, a Duncan Phyfe-style sofa, a mosquito control package from Terminix, and a gift certificate from wellness spa Pura, among other items.
Sweet & Savory will be held from 6-9 p.m. Thursday at EdVenture Children’s Museum. Attire from cocktail to khakis is all acceptable.
Advance tickets, available at palmettoplaceshelter.org/news, are $35 for individuals and $60 per couple. At the door, tickets are $40 per person and $70 per couple.
Bridget Winston, Special to The State
Sweet & Savory dishes
The menu for this year’s annual event includes
▪ Grilled Coffee and Cola Skirt Steak with Jicama-Cilantro Slaw by Chef Vinnie & Chef Daniel from BlueCross BlueShield
▪ Bourbon Braised Pork Belly, Cold Smoked Turbinado and Cardamom, Pickled Rhubarb and Fennel; plus Rhubarb and Strawberry Tartlets with Balsamic Cream by Chef Lawrence Wright with Southern FoodService
▪ Lemon Custard Cups by Chef Ben Perzan of Merchants Foodservice
▪ Spanish Hot Chocolate & Churros; Cocoa & Spice-Rubbed Carolina Heritage Farms Pork Loin by Chef Ryan Whittaker of 116 Espresso & Wine Bar
▪ Bananas Foster by Chef Whittaker Williams of Chili Gourmet Bar-B-Cue House
▪ BBQ Chicken Sliders with Slaw by Chef Charlie Young
▪ Fireball Cheesecake (for adults only); Cascade Mountain Chicken by Chef John Lindower of the Culinary Institute at USC
▪ Beef Short Rib Taco with Cilantro and Roasted Garlic Aioli Topped with Pickled Onions by Chef Dave Grillo of Cantina 76
▪ Smoked Beef Tenderloin with Carmelized Onions & Rosemary-Port Reduction; Linzer Torte by Chefs Suzie Kerns & Julie Taylor
▪ Lowcountry Chicken Bog (aka Chicken Perlo) by Chef Coretta Simmons of Loving Hands Catering
This story was originally published March 25, 2015 at 2:36 PM.