Up & Coming Weekly

OCTOBER 7-13, 2009 UCW 9 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Chefs at some of Fayetteville's top restaurants are fine-tuning their favorite recipes and polishing their silver trays in preparation for the area's premiere fundraising event. And Fayetteville foodies, and those just looking for a great evening, are getting out their finest "old Hollywood" attire in anticipation of the Oct. 15 event. After all, what's better than great food from all your favorite restaurants, the chance to bid on awesome prizes and packages, and entertainment "Iron Chef " style, all for the benefit of mothers and babies? The March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction, to be held at the Metropolitan Ballroom in Historic Downtown Fayetteville, is a successful blending of food, fun and fundraising. " We're anticipating our most exciting evening yet," said Event Chair Ester Thompson. "If you're partial to the best in food and to supporting good causes, this is the event for you." This year's Signature Chefs Auction promises to showcase some of the most talented chefs in the area, according to Beth Shearin-Smith, restaurant chair of the Chef 's Auction and owner of The Hilltop House. The Chefs Auction features 16 restaurants, showcasing their entries into the categories of appetizers, entrees, comfort food, soup, sandwich and dessert. The entries are scored by a mystery panel of judges by a blind taste test. The coveted People's Choice Award is judged by the audience at the event. A new addition to the 18th annual event, and sure to be the highlight of this year's event, is the "Iron Chef " style competition. Much like the popular TV show, two chefs will go head to head preparing a dish from ingredients they are provided in a brown paper bag. They will have 30 minutes to prepare their dish, using the most basic of cooking utensils. Members of the audience will be the guest judges. "The idea is to give chefs as many opportunities as possible to highlight their skills," said Shearin-Smith. "This is a great way to showcase the talents and creativity of local chefs. There's a lot of local talent in this town." Why do restaurants show such support for this event?Serving 300 people within a short period of time, outside of your regular kitchen, is no small task. "I believe in what the March of Dimes does. It's very beneficial to the community, and the money raised stays right here in North Carolina," says Shearin-Smith. And although she took her restaurant out of the running for the judged awards this year since she is the restaurant chair, Shearin- Smith says that all of the restaurants work very well together even though competition is stiff. " We all work together very well. Each of us brings our own unique thing to the restaurant industry in Fayetteville," says Shearin-Smith. And while food is king at the Chefs Auction, drink will also be plentiful. Wine and beer will be provided by Healy Wholesale, while The Hilltop House will prepare a specialty martini for the vintage-Hollywood themed event. There will also be a money machine and raffle, and of course the auctions, both silent and live. The expected crowd of 300 people can place their bids on an array of wonderful items. Packages to day spas and golf courses will be among the offerings, as well as an outdoor movie theatre package. Restaurant gift certificates, jewelry, prizes from Holiday Inn Bordeaux, Fox Hollow and Moonlight Communications, and even a golf outing with Senator Tony R and will be up for bid. Local radio personality Don Chase will be the emcee for the evening. The guest speaker and host family of the evening is Carrie Smalls, whose son Aiden was born premature. Proceeds from the Signature Chefs Auction benefit the March of Dimes and its five-year Prematurity Campaign to help reduce the rate of premature birth. One in seven babies in North Carolina is born too soon, many without warning and for no known reason. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and a major cause of many disabilities. The March of Dimes is raising funds to support research and programs to help fight premature birth. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $75 each. For more information or tickets call (910) 483-3691. Fayetteville Chefs Mix It Up for the March of Dimes Annual Chefs Auction to be held Oct. 15 by JOY KIRKPATRICK Cloudy With a Chance of Cotton Candy at Junior Chefs Auction For the first time, the March of Dimes is holding a special Chefs Auction just for kids! On Sunday, Oct. 11, from 3 to 6 p.m., kids can enjoy their own event where food is the center of attention. The First Annual Junior Chefs Auction will be held at The Hilltop House and will include food-centric activities like cup cake decorating, a jello eating contest, spaghetti eating contest and cheeseburgers and hot dogs. Other fun will include bounce houses, sumo wrestling, a caterpillar crawl, karaoke and more. And of course, there will be a live auction and silent auction. According to Event Chair Ester Thompson, this year's Junior Chefs Auction promises to be the most delicious event since peanut butter met jelly! "There will be fun for kids of all ages," she said. " What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon, than with your children giving to a wonderful cause." Tickets to the Junior Chefs Auction are $5. Like the original Chefs Auction event, proceeds from the Junior Chefs Auction will benefit the March of Dimes and its five-year Prematurity Campaign to help reduce the rate of premature birth. The Jr. Chefs auction is sponsored by The Hilltop House, True Value Just Ask Rentals, Highland Pediatric Dental and Bobby & Lilith Hurst. For more information, call (910) 483-3691. JOY KIRKPATRICK, Associate Publisher COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@ upandcomingweekly.com

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