NC vineyards

Cary Jeweler Donates Amethyst Earrings to Epicurious Vino Challenge Auction

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The auction will help raise funds for children and adults with disabilities.

May 3, 2011 (Raleigh, NC) — J. M. Edwards Jewelry in Cary, NC, has agreed to donate a pair of earrings, worth $750, to the auction portion of the 2011 Epicurious Vino

Earrings donated by Cary jeweler.

Challenge that will be held Saturday, June 4, from 6:30-10 p.m. at the Hinnant Family Vineyards in Pine Level, NC, to benefit children and adults with disabilities.

Now in its third year, the Epicurious Vino Challenge features professional chefs from Raleigh to Greenville who use Hinnant Family Vineyards wines to create signature dishes for everyone in attendance to sample. After enjoying the food, music, and Hinnant’s award-winning wines in the vineyard’s tank room, guests will then participate in both a silent and live auction in the “barrel gallery.”

Among the items auctioned this year will be the pair of sterling silver, 14-karat yellow gold, and Amethyst drop earrings donated by J. M. Edwards Jewelry to show the company’s support for the fundraiser.

Hosted by RHA Howell, Inc, and benefactors US Foodservice, Hinnant Family Vineyards, and Southern Pharmacy Services, proceeds from the Epicurious Vino Challenge tickets sales and auction will directly benefit children and adults with disabilities across North Carolina.

“We are tremendously grateful to James Carl Edwards of J. M. Edwards Jewelry for this very generous donation,” said RHA Howell, Inc.’s events director Debbie Valentine. “The earrings are gorgeous and one lucky person who attends the event is going to leave with them!”

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.

Other sponsor for this year’s event include Southern Pharmacy, Van Products, L&M, Fallon Benefit Group, Marcom Medical Consultants, and Wake Stone Corporation. Print Enterprise, Inc., is providing all printed materials.

For more information on the event, including the list of participating chefs, visit www.rhahowell.org and click on “EVC 2011,” and visit the event’s 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.

Chef’s Take Home Trophies, People with Disabilities Benefit

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2010 Epicurious Vino Challenge is a huge success.

Chef Brian Battistella (left) receives the Chefs Choice Award from US Food Services Exec. Chef Bob Passerelli at the Epicurious Vino Challenge.

June 17, 2010 (PINE LEVEL, NC) – Two North Carolina chefs took home trophies and six others received accolades, but the real winners of the second annual Epicurious Vino Challenge held recently at Hinnant Family Vineyards in Pine Level are the people with disabilities served by RHA Howell, Inc. The wine and food event raised $30,000.

For the “challenge,” professional chefs competed to see who could come up with the best dish using a Hinnant Family Vineyard wine that they pulled out of a hat. The crowd in attendance chose a People Choice Award winner and executive chefs from US Food Services named the Chef’s Choice through a blind judging.

The Chef’s Choice Award went to Chef Brian Battistella of Battistella’s New Orleans Kitchen in Raleigh (located in the Crabtree Inn above Crabtree Valley Mall). Using Hinnant Family Vineyard’s “Tar Heel Red” wine, the chef, a New Orleans native, created Creole spiced pork tenderloin served with Tasso ham, mashed sweet potatoes with muscadine gastrique, charred sweet pepper salad, and crisp sweet potato chips.

Chef Robbie Lilly (left) takes home the Peoples Choice Award.

The Peoples Choice Award went to Chef Robbie Lilly of Sisters Garden & Catering, also in Raleigh, who created Beef Tenderloin with a “Hinnant Bordelaise,” using Hinnant’s “Noble” red wine, laced with sautéed shitake mushrooms and served over Gouda grits.

In the Chef’s Choice category, US Foodservice Executive Chefs Bob Passarelli, Mark Turner, and Wes Dills named Chef Tom Armstrong of Vinnie’s Steakhouse and Tavern in Raleigh in second place and Chef Pat Walston of House Autry in Four Oaks in third.

In the People’s Choice category, the crowd in attendance placed Chef Battistella in second place and Chef Walston in third.

Other participating chefs included Executive Chef Clifton Vogelsberg of Solas Restaurant, Lounge & Rooftop in Raleigh; Colleen Speaks of Posh Nosh Catering in Raleigh; personal chef Melinda McGuirk of Charlotte, and Chef Martin Nessley of Sunset Grille in Cary.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the results of the 2010 Epicurious Vino Challenge,” said

A lively crowd enjoys the food, wine and other festivities at the 2010 Epicurious Vino Challenge.

Debbie Valentine, special events and marketing planner for RHA Howell. “Our guests couldn’t stop talking about the fantastic dishes all the chefs created. And it’s all of those chefs, who set aside precious time from their hectic schedules to contribute to this event, that a good idea last year became a great idea this year. Along with Hinnant Family Vineyards, our sponsors and everyone who attended, we’ve sent the message that even in the most stressful times, caring for people with disabilities is still a top priority.”

Presented by RHA Howell, the event was sponsored by Hinnant Family Vineyards, US Foodservice Raleigh, and Fallon Benefits Group.

RHA Howell is a statewide organization that has been helping people with disabilities and their families for 35 years. For more information, visit www.rhahowwell.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 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.

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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