food

Plans Set For Third Annual Epicurious Vino Challenge

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The popular culinary event combines professional chefs with wine, music, and auctions to benefit children and adults with disabilities.

April 14, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) – All plans are now set for the 2011 Epicurious Vino Challenge, the popular culinary event that will be held this year on Saturday, June 4, from 6:30-10 p.m. at The Hinnant Family Vineyards in Pine Level, NC.

Hosted by RHA Howell, Inc, and benefactors US Foodservice, Hinnant Family Vineyards, and Southern Pharmacy Services, proceeds from the event will directly benefit children and adults with disabilities.

For the Epicurious Vino Challenge, professional chefs from Raleigh to Greenville, NC, and invited to compete to see who can make the best signature dish, or dishes, using an award-winning Hinnant Family Vineyards wine as a key ingredient.

The participating chefs pull the name of a Hinnant wine from a hat and present their creations to the crowd in attendance. After tasting every dish prepared, the guests select a “People’s Choice” award winner. Professional chefs from US Foodservice, Inc. select the Chef’s Choice winner.

After enjoying the food and sampling Hinnant wines in the vineyard’s banquet hall, surrounded by music and festive decorations, guests will then participate in both a silent and live auction (items to be announced). Casual garden-party attire is suggested.

This year’s participating chefs, thus far, are:

  • Chef Tom Armstrong of Vinnie’s Steakhouse & Tavern, Raleigh
  • Chef Pat Walston of House Autry Mills, Four Oaks
  • Chef Vivian Howard of The Chef and the Farmer, Kinston
  • Chef Mark Lawson of East Restaurant, Blockade Runner, Wrightsville Beach
  • Chef Belo Shelton of Thrills From The Grill, Durham
  • Chef Kimberly Hall of Flying Fork, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro
  • Chef Mario Huante of Chef Mario’s, Inc., Raleigh
  • Chef Joyce Jenkins of The Serving Spoon, Pine Level
  • Chef Maggie Radzwiller of Comfort Cuisine, Durham

RHA Howell events director Debbie Valentine anticipates this year’s event selling out quickly. To reserve single tickets ($50 each) or to reserve a table for 10 ($400), go to http://www.rhahowell.org/NewsEvents/Epicurious/tabid/737/Default.aspx. Payment by PayPal is available. Questions about tickets and sponsorships may be directed to dvalentine@rhanet.org or by calling 919-803-2960.

The main sponsors, or Epicurious Benefactors, for the 2011 event are RHA Howell, Inc; US Foodservice, Inc.; Hinnant Family Vineyards; and Southern Pharmacy. Epicurious Advocates include Van Products, L&M, Fallon Benefit Group, Marcom Medical Consultants, and Wake Stone Corporation. Print Enterprise, Inc., is providing all printed materials.

Hinnant Family Vineyards is the largest muscadine vineyard in North Carolina, sprawling over 80 acres. Their international, award-winning wines range from dry whites and reds to traditional sweet scuppernongs. For more information and directions, visit www.hinnantvineyards.com.

RHA Howell, Inc. is a statewide, nonprofit organization that has been serving children and adults with disabilities, and their families, for nearly 40 years. For more information visit www.rhahowell.org and visit the Epicurious Vino Challenge Facebook page.

About RHA Howell, Inc.:

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, and hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, please go to www.rhahowell.org.

Winning Chefs Return For Third Annual Epicurious Vino Challenge

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The popular event combines chefs, wine and charity.  

March 22, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) — Celebrated chefs from Raleigh to the coast once again will compete to create trademark dishes using Hinnant Family Vineyard’s award-winning wines when US Foodservice Raleigh and RHA Howell present the third annual Epicurious Vino Challenge on Saturday, June 4, 2011, at the vineyard in Pine Level, NC. All proceeds will benefit a child or an adult with a disability.

RHA Howell, a non-profit, state-wide organization serving people with disabilities for nearly 40 years, is especially pleased that the award-winning chefs from last year’s Epicurious Vino Challenge have already signed on to compete again.

The 2010 Chef’s Choice Winner, Chef Brian Batistella of Batistella’s New Orleans Kitchen in Raleigh, has agreed to defend his title.

Chef Tom Armstrong with Vinnie’s Steakhouse & Tavern in Raleigh will return for the challenge for the third straight year. Chef Armstrong placed second in the Chef’s Choice category in last year and has been a great friend of RHA Howell’s programs.

Chef Pat Walston of House-Autry Mills in Four Oaks won third place in both the Chef’s Choice and People’s Choice categories last year and will be back, along with Chef Joyce Jenkins of The Serving Spoon Catering Company in Pine Level.  Also returning is Sergeant Kimberly Hall of the “Flying Fork” at Seymour Johnston Air Force Base.

For the “challenge,” these and other professional chefs will vie to see who can come up with the most delicious dish using a Hinnant Family Vineyard wines as a key ingredient. The chef’s pull the name of a wine out of a hat.

The crowd in attendance will enjoy the chef’s creations then choose a People’s Choice Award winner. Executive chefs from US Food Services will name the Chef’s Choice winner through a blind judging.

RHA Howell logo

Presented by RHA Howell, the event is sponsored by US Foodservice of Raleigh and Hinnant Family Vineyards & Winery in Pine Level, along with Print Enterprise and Wake Stone Corporation.

Hinnant is the largest muscadine vineyard in North Carolina, sprawling over 80 acres. Its international award-winning wines range from dry whites and reds to traditional sweet scuppernongs. The Epicurious Vino Challenge will take place inside vineyard’s wedding/banquet facility known as “The Barrell Gallery.”

For more information about signing up to compete, reserving a table, or ticket sales, contact Debbie Valentine dvalentine@rhanet.org or call 919-803-2960.  Tickets will go on sale in April. To learn more about RHA Howell, visit www.rhahowell.org.

About RHA Howell, Inc.

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for nearly 40 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, and hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell program. RHA Howell is a pioneering force in the field of human services for children and adults across North Carolina with the mission “Opening the world for people with disabilities and in turn, enriching the lives of everyone they touch.” For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.

2nd Annual “Epicurious Vino Challenge” Set For June 5

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Popular event combines chefs, wines, charity.

May 13, 2010 (RALEIGH, NC) – Celebrated professional chefs from Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, and Goldsboro are gearing up to compete in the second annual Epicurious Vino Challenge, a fundraising event that challenges the chefs to create original dishes using Hinnant Family Vineyards’ internationally award-winning wines as key ingredients.

The 2010 Epicurious Vino Challenge will be held at the Hinnant Family Vineyards in Pine Level, NC, on Saturday, June 5, from 6:30 – 10 p.m. Hinnant Family Vineyards is the largest muscadine vineyard in North Carolina, spreading over 80 acres between Raleigh and Goldsboro. All proceeds will benefit a child or an adult with disabilities in RHA Howell’s Bear Creek, Walnut Creek, and Magnolia Place residential centers.

Presented by RHA Howell and sponsored by Hinnant Family Vineyards, US Foodservice Raleigh, and Fallon Benefits Group, the challenge requires the participating chefs to select the name of a Hinnant wine from a hat. Executive chefs from US Foodservice will serve as judges to determine which chef used his or her wine to create the most extraordinary dish.

Chefs already signed up to compete in the 2010 event include Tom Armstrong of Vinnie’s Steakhouse & Tavern in Raleigh, Colleen Speaks of Posh Nosh Catering in Raleigh, Brian Battistella of Batttistella’s New Orleans Kitchen in downtown Raleigh, Pat Walston of House-Autry in Four Oaks, personal chef Melinda McGuirk of Charlotte, Martin Nessley of Sunset Grille in Durham, Robbie Lilly of Sisters Garden, and Belo Shelton of Thrills From The Grill.  Other chefs will be announced prior to the event.

Open to the public, the 2010 Epicurious Vino Challenge will also include live jazz, signature martinis, award-winning wines, a chef’s auction, and a chance to win a $1000 gift from Barnes Jewelers. Participants will also sample the chef’s creations. Tickets are $50 each or $400 for a table of 10. Dress is “snappy cocktail.”

“Last year’s event was so well received — by the chefs and the public — that we couldn’t wait to do it again,” said Debbie Valentine, RHA’s director of marketing and events. “It was a truly magical evening. And with all of our tables nearly sold out, we raised $18,500. We hope to do even better this year to help us continue our mission to serve children and adults with disabilities and their families.”

Tickets are available at www.rhahowell.org. All major credit cards are accepted.

For more information on the 2010 Epicurious Vino Challenge, contact Debbie Valentine at dvalentine@rhanet.org or call 919-941-0530.

About RHA Howell, Inc.:

RHA Howell is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that has been helping people with disabilities and special needs, and their families, make choices to live more independently for more than 35 years. Integrity, high standards for quality, and hard work are at the core of every RHA Howell disability assistance program. Proven leaders in caring for people, RHA Howell, Inc. is a pioneering force in the field of human services, particularly supporting infants and children. For more information, go to www.rhahowell.org.

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“Corn Bread Nation 5: The Best of Southern Food Writing” Includes Piece on Soft Shell Crabs by Raleigh Metro Magazine Columnist Carroll Leggett

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March 13, 2010 (RALEIGH, NC) – A column by food writer Carroll Leggett originally published in Raleigh Metro Magazine is included in Corn Bread Nation 5, The Best of Southern Writing,  available at bookstores and on the Internet April 15. The column, titled “Soft Shell Science,” is the second time one of Leggett’s monthly “Between You and Me” columns in Metro has been selected for inclusion in this popular series from the Southern Foodways Alliance.

Three other Triangle food experts are included in Corn Bread Nation 5 along with Leggett: John Shelton Reed of Chapel Hill; Ben Barker, chef and co-owner of Magnolia Grill in Durham; and cookbook author and publisher Fred Thompson of Raleigh.

Leggett’s October 2008 column took Metro readers to Hyde County and Debbie’s Crab Ranch located near Belhaven. Leggett introduced readers to the “Crab Whisperer” and discovered little known information about North Carolina’s home-grown soft shell crab industry and the lives and ways of soft shell crabs.

“Of all the things one might order in a restaurant, diners probably know the least about soft shell crabs and how they make their way to the table,” said Leggett.  “Researching the Metro article gave me a chance to meet interesting, native North Carolinians who have always lived on or near the water. Their heads are full of the science of soft shell crabs, and my great joy was trying to pry just a small amount of it out to be shared with Metro readers and, soon, I hope, viewers of a film being produced in cooperation with my long-time friend and professional associate Gregg Jamback with Swiftwater Media of Winston-Salem.”

Chapel Hill author and southern food aficionado Marcie Ferris writes in the Forward to the new book: “Food reflects our national and regional culture as surely as do the fields of art, folklore, geography, history, literature, music, politics and religion. The problem with the study of food is food itself. If only food were more arcane, less accessible, less popular, not so sensual or comforting, even divisive, its study would surely find a place in the hallowed halls of the academy.”

Fred Sauceman, author and food writer and Associate Professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University, edited the book along with John T. Edge of the University of Mississippi. It is published by The University of Georgia Press. For more information: www.ugapress.org/index.php/books/cornbread_nation5.

About Carroll Leggett:

Carroll is active in the Southern Foodways Alliance and often writes about food and foodways.  He writes a monthly column for Metro Magazine, is a contributing editor to Edible Piedmont, and has written restaurant reviews and other articles for Winston-Salem Living magazine. He is cited in Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue published by UNC Press. He also contributed to the book, North Carolina Tobacco.

About Cornbread Nation 5:

The fifth volume in this popular series from the Southern Foodways Alliance spans the food cultures of the South. Cornbread Nation 5, edited by accomplished food writer Fred W. Sauceman, celebrates food and the ways in which it forges unexpected relationships between people and places. This collection includes more than 70 essays and poems about the food that provides nourishment as well as a sense of community and shared history. For more information go to www.ugapress.org/index.php/books/cornbread_nation5.

Chefs vs. Wines: Epicurious Vino Challenges Set

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April 28, 2009 (Raleigh, NC) – The Epicurious Vino Challenge is set.  The competing chefs have “selected their corks,” which revealed the Hinnant Family Vineyard wine they must use as a key ingredient to create a gourmet dish during this fundraising event to benefit children and adults with a disabilities. The competition will be held Saturday, May 30, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Hinnant Family Vineyards & Winery in Pine Level, NC.

The chefs and their challenges are:

Personal Chef Mario vs “Southern White”

Urban Food Group vs “Magnolia,” “Tar Heel Red,” “Peachy Too,” and  “Carlos”

Chef Tom Armstrong of Vinnie’s Steakhouse vs “Blush”

Chef Frank Peters of Catering Works vs “Southern Red”

Chef Terry Moody at the Pound Cake Company vs “Strawberry”

Chef Joyce Jenkins of The Serving Spoon vs “Pack House Gold”

Personal Chef Wendy Perry vs “Norton”

Walnut Creek Country Club Chef Scot Elden vs “Scuppernong”

Broken Eagle Eatery Owner/Chef Bobby Carraway  vs “Carolina Wildflower”

US Foodservice’s executive chefs Bob Passerelli and Mark Turner will serve as judges to determine which chef created the best dish and present the H&H Grand Prize. Guests will enjoy the various dishes and choose the People’s Choice.  They will also have the opportunity to taste all 18 Hinnant wines as well as signature martinis.

Live jazz will be provided by the Peter Ingram Trio with Elmer Gibson.  An original painting created by artist Brenda Behr especially for The Epicurious Vino Challenge will be up for auction.  Guests will also vie for a case of prime choice steaks from US Foodservice and an evening at the vineyard for a Christmas party, donated by Hinnant Vineyards.  A Lorenzo necklace valued at $1000 from Barnes Jewelers of Goldsboro will be won in a raffle.

Reserved tables for eight are $400. Individual tickets are $50. Raffle tickets for a gift from Barnes Jewelers are $50 each.

For tickets and more information about The Epicurious Vino Challenge, contact Debbie Valentine at dvalentine@rhanet.org or call 919-941-0530.  Tickets are also available at the Hinnant Family Vineyards by calling 919-638-6519 or emailing: events@hinnantfamilyvineyards.com.

All proceeds will benefit a child or an adult with a disability at RHA Howell’s Bear Creek, Walnut Creek, and Magnolia Creek locations. RHA Howell is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving children and adults with disabilities across the state of North Carolina.  Its services are provided in Wake, Johnston, Wayne, Lenoir, Pitt, Craven, Orange, Durham, Guilford, Forsyth, Cabarrus, Catawba, Iredell, and Anson Counties.  For more information on RHA Howell, visit www.rhahowell.org.

About US Food service:
US Foodservice (www.usfoodservice.com) is the Grand Benefactor for The Epicurious Vino Challenge. Additional sponsors include Fallon Benefits Group, Southern Pharmacy Services, PFMI, Jim & Donna Panton, SCA Tena, Morcom Medical Consultants, Blue Water Spa, Second Empire, Carolina Café, the Kinston Indians, and The Carolina Mudcats.  Print Enterprises of Henderson, NC is the print sponsor.

About Hinnant Family Vineyards:
Hinnant Family Vineyards & Winery (www.hinnantvineyards.com) is the largest muscadine vineyard in North Carolina, sprawling over 80 acres.  Their international award winning wines range from dry white and reds to traditional sweet scuppernongs. They are located between Raleigh and Goldsboro.

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Epicurious Vino Challenge Combines Chefs, Wines, Charity

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March 12, 2009 (Raleigh, NC) — US Foodservice Raleigh and RHA Howell announce The Epicurious Vino Challenge to be held Saturday May 30th, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Hinnant Family Vineyards & Winery in Pine Level, NC. Celebrated professional chefs from Raleigh to Greenville will compete to create trademark dishes using Hinnant’s internationally award winning wines as ingredients. All proceeds will benefit a child or an adult with a disability.

Restaurants whose chefs have already signed up to participate in The Epicurious Vino Challenge include the Urban Food Group’s Frazier’s, Vivace, Coquette and Porters; Vinnie’s Steakhouse & Tavern; Chef Mario’s, Inc, a personal chef and catering company; and Wendy Perry, home economist and personal chef who specializes in “green” weddings. (Additional chefs will be announced as they come on board.)

US Foodservice’s executive chefs Bob Passerelli and Mark Turner will serve as judges to determine which chef used a signature Hinnant wine as an ingredient to create an extraordinary dish. The chefs will draw the names of the wines from a hat and proceed from there. Two awards will be presented: the judges’ H&H grand prize and the People’s Choice award, which will be determined by a vote from attendees at the event.

US Foodservice, the Grand Benefactor for the Epicurious Vino Challenge, is a collection of foodservice distributors employing over 600 at the Raleigh division and servicing Eastern North Carolina since 1971. For more information visit http://www.usfoodservice.com.

RHA Howell is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving children and adults with disabilities across the state of North Carolina. Its services are provided in Wake, Johnston, Wayne, Lenoir, Pitt, Craven, Orange, Durham, Guildford, Forsyth, Cabarrus, Catawba, Iredell, and Anson Counties. For more information on RHA Howell, visit http://www.rhahowell.org.

Hinnant Family Vineyards & Winery (www.hinnantvineyards.com) is the largest muscadine vineyard in North Carolina, sprawling over 80 acres. Their international award winning wines range from dry white and reds to traditional sweet scuppernongs. They are located between Raleigh and Kinston.

For tickets and more information about the Epicurious Vino Challenge, contact Debbie Valentine at dvalentine@rhanet.org or call 919-941-0530.