A Night in the Valley and a benefit for the St. Bernard Project
A sea of smiling waiters (mostly chefs-in-training and hospitality students) greeted the several hundred guests in attendance at Friday night’s A Night in the Valley Auction, which raised money for the Trident Technical College Foundation, Culinary Institute of Charleston students, and the Patrick E. Ringwald Memorial Culinary Garden.
Mitchell Crosby served as mastermind behind the evening’s decor, and he treated me to a sneak peak of the ballroom during the cocktail hour. Inside, austere tree branches spilled out of tall, clear vases that were illuminated by white pinpoints of light. Vintage scenes of winter from lovely locales around the world were projected on the half dozen oversized screens that flanked the room. Every time Tsarskoye Selo flashed across the screens, I was filled with nostalgia for my time spent in St. Petersburg, Russia, as a high school senior when I visited that magical palace located on the outskirts of the city. The photographs depicted an array of cities, and I’m sure there were others in the room who too were transported to another place and time. The silver gelatin images effused the room with an old world elegance, which is perhaps what inspired guests to bid with enthusiasm for the trips offered during the live auction. Terri Henning and Hildur Schmidt purchased the African safari lot together, and I’m sure that David and Carol Perkins Rawle (who recently returned from Botswana, one of the destinations in the safari package) can swap stories with those fun-loving and adventuresome gals.
The auction itself took place from a round stage that was positioned directly in the center of the room, which meant that no guest suffered from an obstructed view. I hear this nifty stage is one of Denise Barto’s new party tricks, and it will no doubt make a splash on the charity auction scene.
The multi-course dinner arrived with special wine pairings courtesy of Hal Jones of Southern Wine and Spirits, and the affair was capped off by flutes of champagne. The dessert was delightful; it evoked the whimsy of a circus tent with its swirls of colored chocolate, and it was a fun ending to a rousing evening.
On Monday night, a handsome crowd found refuge from the rain at Marie Laveau’s, host of a benefit for the St. Bernard Project, a grassroots, nonprofit organization that provides direct rebuilding services in addition to financial and community support to families in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, who were displaced and devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. A recent visit to the St. Bernard Parish inspired Elise Poche, studio manager of Rick Rhodes Photography, to organize the fundraiser, and her photos of the devastation filled the restaurant’s walls. I was dumbstruck to realize that many of the images were captured in November of 2006, not the immediate aftermath. Only 7,000 of the 65,000 people who called the parish home before the storms have returned, and the work needed to rebuild the community is almost unfathomable. Several thousands of dollars were raised at the event, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the St. Bernard Project. You can learn more by visiting their website. Click.
Caritas.
Ida
