Dine for the Charleston Nine
As I stood in the grand foyer of Charleston Place on Sunday evening, I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of people waiting to attend the benefit for the nine firemen who lost their lives in the terrible Sofa Super Store blaze a few weeks ago. From the hallway outside the second floor meeting rooms straight out through the lobby’s front door, people were lined up as far as I could see. I have witnessed a lot of interesting things while covering the charitable event beat, but I have never experienced 1,300 people patiently waiting to attend an event that was only two weeks in the making.
Spearheaded by Charleston Grill’s large-hearted manager Mickey Bakst, the event was organized by a team of hard-working volunteers that included Denise Barto, Lynn Hanlin, Randi Weinstein, and several Spoleto Festival USA staffers, among others. Nunally Kersh (Spoleto producer) was one of the first familiar faces I spotted amidst the sea of attendees, and she shared that two of the fallen firefighters, Brad Baity and Earl Drayton, had worked backstage with the festival. I later learned that the festival is making a donation to the firemen’s fund in their honor.
At $150 per ticket, the benefit was a financial success long before the doors to the ballroom opened. Inside, guests discovered an extensive smorgasbord of food courtesy of 42 local restaurants, all of which had donated food and labor. In fact, every penny raised by the benefit will go directly to the firemen’s fund since 100% of the event— food, wine, service, and auction items— was donated. Although I’ve not received word of the final tally, I hear it is more than $400,000.
A touching video tribute captivated the crowd’s attention as images of the fire and its aftermath played on the two giant screens that flanked the stage. As the last note of the video’s musical accompaniment fell silent, muffled sobs resonated throughout the darkened ballroom.
Father Gabe Smith offered a prayer of hope, and Mickey announced that both Trident Technical College and the Culinary Art School have offered scholarships to the children of the deceased firemen.
Doug Warner presided over the live auction, which was capped off by an incredible final lot: dinner for two at 52 Charleston restaurants— one dinner for every week of the year.
Although the site of Stephen Colbert pouring drinks for Charleston Coffee Roasters was rather memorable, one of my personal highlights came after the event itself. I was walking down Meeting Street when a Black Cab pulled over to offer a free ride to two chefs who were toting a large cooler back to Hank’s restaurant. Although the hum of traffic muffled part of their exchange, I heard the driver express his gratitude to the men for participating in the benefit. As Fire Chief Rusty Thomas had remarked earlier in the night, “Charleston takes care of its own.” So true.
