On Sunday night, I attended A Puzzled Palate at Sienna Ristorante on Daniel Island, a dinner fundraiser held in honor of the Camp Good Times of Charleston. Chef Ken Vedrinski of Sienna, along with a few of his talented friends from Charlotte, Atlanta, and Mississippi hosted this four-course meal with wine pairings by Grassroots Wine Wholesalers. The night started out with a reception in the bar area where guests had the opportunity to bid on a few auction items that ranged from an epicurean adventure four local fine dinning restaurants to a boat cruise in the Charleston harbor on Chef Ken Vedrinski’s boat, which would include wine and hors d’oeuvres prepared by Ken.
During the mixing and mingling, guests were asked to take their seats by co-host and Charleston Grill general manager, Mickey Bakst. I had the privilege of sitting at Mickey’s table –and he is a ball of energy. Also seated at my table was renowned jazz drummer, Quentin Baxter. Being at the “popular” table had it perks. The chefs brought over additional cuisine samples for Quentin, who was gracious enough to share with the entire table. The food was absolutely amazing: truffle-cured salmon carpaccio with a tomato and shell bean salad, vermillion snapper, roasted quail, and homemade ricotta torta with local peaches and blueberries. Conversation was all about the Olympic games and the sleep deprivation we have all been subjected to due to Michael Phelps phenomenal feat of winning eight gold medals. (But we all agreed that it has been so worth it.)
Another highlight of the night was when a gentleman attending the dinner rose and relayed the importance of organizations like Camp Good Times. His son was diagnosed with autism at 18 months and they never thought he would be able to attend regular school–his son will be attending regular Kindergarten this school year. There was not a dry eye in the room.
The event was a sucess and raised more than $10,000 to benefit Camp Good Times of Charleston, a summer program designed for children with autism to experience a summer camp for two weeks without labels, stares, or social stigma.
