Flavors of Florence Celebrity Chef Competition Promises to Be a Winner
We’ll see you there!
We all know that Fall is the busy season for food-related events in Florence. Next week is Taste of Florence, then the Hope Harvest and the South Carolina Pecan Festival. Add to your schedule, today, The Chamber’s Flavors of Florence & Awesome Auction.
The Chamber’s event on November 13, 2012 at 5:30 PM at the Florence Civic Center is unlike the others in that it brings together local “Celebrity Chefs” to compete for its annual title and hosts an auction of over 150 items including vacations, antiques, gift certificates, collectibles, and much more. It is like the others in that attendees will be able to sample great food, including in this case, the dishes prepared by the highly talented Celebrity Chefs.
The Celebrity Chefs
You may recall from last year’s event that Joan Billheimer was crowned the victor among the Celebrity Chefs. Her perfectly-cooked plate of lamb chops, a dish for which she’s been known for some time, hit the mark on this one in many ways. I’m excited to see what she has in store for us this year as she defends here title. Read our full account of last year’s event in this blog post.
Upwards of a dozen Celebrity Chefs will be on-hand to impress you with their culinary magic. As of today, the roster includes:
• Sheriff Kenney Boone, Florence County
• Joan Billheimer, First Reliance Bank
• Carl Humphries, Hope Health
• Robby Hill, HillSouth
• Grey Raines, Raines Hospitality Group
• Charlie Gould, Florence Darlington Technical College
• Tim Norwood, Victors Bistro
• Sarah Shelley, Eastern Carolina Community Foundation
• Marion Ford, Performance Food Service IFH
• Ed Hoffman, Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate School
• Joshua Mason, Wine Connoisseur
Other Celebrity Chef contestants will be added as commitments and dishes are finalized. This article will be updated as that occurs.
Judging Committee
I am thankful to have been asked to return as chair of the judging committee, which I am putting together today in consultation with The Chamber. While the full judging committee will be announced soon, I am thrilled to share with you now that one of its distinguished members will be none other than Tom Kinard. Tom’s a self-described “eater” and great cook in his own right. I know that with Tom on the judging team the experience is certain to be a whole lot of fun.
Restaurant Participants
Many of Florence’s favorite restaurants will be there as well, including Hibachi Grill, Great American Grill, Outback Steakhouse, Fatz Cafe, Methodist Manor, as well as Freeman’s Bakery and the Florence Civic Center‘s catering team. Additional restaurants are being added, so stay tuned for updates.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are $20.00 per person, which represents a great value in my opinion. There will be a cash bar for those wishing to partake. Attendees must be 21 years or older, of course. Contact The Chamber at (843) 665-0515 or purchase tickets online.
2011 PHOTO GALLERY (Read last year’s Event Report)
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- We’ll see you there!
We’ll have much more information about this event here on PeeDeeFoodie.com as the event date approaches. What’s your favorite memory of last year’s event? Add you comments below.
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Editor’s Note: Post last updated on Friday, October 19, 2012.
Category: Announcements, Food Festival, Nonprofit Events
About the Author
Kevin Barron is a husband, father, self-described geek, and enthusiastic founder of PeeDeeFoodie.com. He also hosts its companion podcast, the Pee Dee Food Show, which can be found on iTunes and the blog. Learn more about Kevin under the Contributors tab above.Thanks for reading PeeDeeFoodie.com™
