Louie’s Kids and the Local Color Fashion Show
According to Louis Yuhasz, founder of Louie’s Kids— a locally based national nonprofit that raises money to combat childhood obesity by sending young people to summer camps that specialize in behavior modifications and weight loss. “Childhood obesity is the fastest-growing public health problem in the country, and since childhood is the time when children learn the patterns that will last them a lifetime, it is important that we break the pattern for these children now,” says Yuhasz.
Teaching families the importance of savoring shared meals was a prevalent theme during the week-long series of culinary events designed to celebrate fresh ingredients and healthy cuisine. Special guest Carmelita Caruana, a BBC cooking show host, shared her slow food philosophy with guests at a variety of events including a “Welcome to the Lowcountry” reception hosted by High Cotton, a luncheon at FIG, a Tuscan Farm Fare class as Charleston Cooks!, dinner at Al Di La, and a tented block party at the Square Onion.
I found the atmosphere at the Square Onion to be delightfully similar to a European street fair; women were fanning themselves, the air was filled with mouth-watering aromas, people were engaged in casual conversation punctuated by frequent laughter, and trays of bite-sized morsels were sampled and discussed.
Mary and Cary Zapatka, owners of the Square Onion, produced an incredible array of Italian hors d’oeuvres that were both beautiful to behold (stuffed cherry tomatoes) and delicious to eat. Guests were slow to leave as the night wore on, which is the mark of a successful gathering.
Monday night was prime time for people watching as throngs of well-heeled guests packed Chai’s for an event billed as a local color fashion show that featured designs by locals Goga, Rachel Gordon, Mew, LulaKate, and Nikki Hughes. As I waited for Ayoka Lucas (Charleston magazine’s style editor and emcee of the event), I noticed that a small crush of doting parents, many toting bouquets of flowers, were among the first to line up on the sidewalk outside the venue (I overheard several express the hope of securing good seats from which to watch their daughters walk the runway). They were smart to arrive early as the line quickly filed all the way down the block. After the initial wave of parents, a seemingly endless parade of ladies who were dressed-to-impress sashayed through the door— apparently Monday is the new Thursday.
The event was staged as a fundraiser for the families of the nine local firemen who lost their lives in the tragic Sofa Super Store blaze. A dozen of their firefighting brethren turned up in support of the event, and several men served as escorts to the designers for their respective show-ending walks down the runway.
September is just around the corner, and the Fete Set scene is poised to crank back into high gear. Get out your party shoes and your checkbooks— there are scores of great charitable events on the horizon.
Caritas.
Ida
