A who’s who of NC culinary talent will cook to help Hurricane Florence victims

Some of North Carolina’s top culinary talents have organized events to help with the state’s recovery from Hurricane Florence.

Next week, they’re starting with a cocktail hour benefit for the rural victims of the storm. They’re calling it “Raise the Bar: Bartenders and Chefs for Hurricane Relief,” or a “make-others-happy” hour.

The roster includes James Beard winners and nominees, cocktail wizards and the forces behind some of the South’s top restaurants. Seven chefs and five bartenders will each prepare a snack or cocktail at host venue Fox Liquor Bar, owned by James Beard winner Ashley Christensen.

The cocktail party is Wednesday, Sept. 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. Tickets cost $75 with proceeds benefiting the North Carolina Community Foundation’s disaster relief fund.

Chefs include:

▪ Vivian Howard of Chef & the Farmer in Kinston

▪ Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner, Fox Liquor, Death & Taxes and other downtown Raleigh restaurants

▪ Andrea Reusing of Lantern in Chapel Hill and The Durham hotel restaurant

▪ Scott Crawford of Crawford and Son and the upcoming Jolie in Raleigh

▪ Vansana Nolintha of Bida Manda and Brewery Bhavana in Raleigh

▪ Steven Devereaux Greene of Herons in Cary

▪ Matt Kelly of Mateo, St. James and other restaurants in Durham

Bartenders include:

▪ Daniel Sartain of Bar Virgile in Durham

▪ Garrett Waddell of Foundation in Raleigh

▪ Liliana Contreras of William & Co. in Raleigh

▪ Shannon Healy of Alley Twenty Six in Durham

▪ Travis Brown of Fox Liquor Bar in Raleigh

Sunday Supper

Two Sunday Supper events have been organized to raise funds for Hurricane Florence relief. The group was started in 2016 after Hurricane Matthew, raising nearly $200,000 for victims of the storm.

On Sunday, Oct. 7, an all-star cast of North Carolina chefs will cook at the Dillon, the new high-rise building in downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District.

Chefs include:

▪ Colin Bedford of Fearrington House Restaurant

▪ Daniel Benjamin of Lucettegrace

▪ Ashley Christensen of AC Restaurant Group

▪ Scott Crawford of Crawford and Son

▪ Richard Fong of O-Ku

▪ Sunny Gerhart of St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar

▪ Steven Greene of Herons

▪ Vivian Howard of the Chef & The Farmer

▪ Matt Kelly of Mateo

▪ Cheetie Kumar of Garland

▪ Beth Little John of the Players’ Retreat

▪ Vansana Nolintha of Bida Manda

▪ Jake Wood of 18 Seaboard

Tickets for the Oct. 7 Sunday Supper will go on sale Friday, Sept. 28. They will be $250 per person. The evening will also feature a performance by American Aquarium frontman BJ Barham. There will also be live and silent auctions raising additional funds for hurricane relief.

A second Sunday Supper is being organized for Nov. 11. Tickets to that event are $25. This event will feature a two-block long table built in the middle of Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh, the setting for lunch for 1,000 diners.

A similar event was held after Hurricane Matthew in downtown Raleigh.

For details, go to thesundaysupper.com.

Dinner with Friends

Durham’s Alley Twenty Six already has been hosting monthly dinners to raise money for renowned chef Jose Andres’ disaster relief group, World Central Kitchen. That group has been in North Carolina since last week, feeding thousands daily who are displaced by the hurricane or helping with its recovery.

The next “Dinner with Friends” event at Alley Twenty Six is Monday, Sept. 24, featuring Sean Umstead of the future Durham bar Kingfisher. Tickets are $95 for a five-course dinner, including cocktail pairings. All proceeds will go to World Central Kitchen. Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at alleytwentysix.com/dinnerwithfriends.

A number of restaurants and bars are donating proceeds of their sales this week to groups helping out with hurricane relief. Those include:

▪ Buku Raleigh is donating 10 percent of its sales to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina through Sept. 23. It is also accepting donated items, including canned food, bottled water, cleaning supplies and new clothing for victims of the storm.

Rally + Relief

For the past three years, Rally + Relief has raised thousands for hurricane victims, starting with Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

After Hurricane Florence, the group is organizing a city-wide fundraiser for World Central Kitchen.

So far, 27 restaurants and local shops have pledged to donate a portion of their sales from Saturday, Sept. 22, to the organization. Some will continue after Sept. 22.

For details, go to facebook.com/RallyReliefNC.

Restaurants and bars participating so far:

▪ Another Broken Egg Cafe

▪ Capital Club 16

▪ Centro

▪ Fiction Kitchen

▪ Foundation

▪ Garland

▪ Kings Entertainment in North Hills

▪ lucettegrace

▪ Night Kitchen

▪ Quarter Horse Arcade

▪ Slim’s

▪ Spring Rolls

▪ so.ca

▪ Stanbury

▪ Trophy Brewing

Shops:

▪ Apex Outfitter

▪ Arrow Haircuts

▪ Father and Son

▪ Hawks and Doves

▪ House of Swank

▪ Kendra Scott

▪ Lily Pulitzer

▪ Raleigh Wine Shop

▪ Retro Modern Furnishings

▪ Runologie

▪ So & So Books

▪ Videri Chocolate

This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 11:56 AM with the headline "A who’s who of NC culinary talent will cook to help Hurricane Florence victims."