This year’s Taste of Charleston will include cooking demonstrations, the Taste of Arts where local art galleries are paired with local restaurants, an Iron Chef competition and the main event, Taste of Charleston at Boone Hall Plantation.
Get ready for the 29th annual Taste of Charleston scheduled October 9-11, 2009. The three-day celebration of Lowcountry cuisine is being hosted by the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association and will feature some of Charleston’s finest, nationally-renowned chefs. There are four special events this year, including:
• Iron Chef Competition will be held Friday, October 9, at the Culinary Institute of Charleston’s Palmer Campus in downtown Charleston and will showcase the Institute’s new, $7-million facility, pitting some of the best local chefs in a heated head-to-head battle in their state-of-the-art amphitheater kitchen. This event will be held 6 - 9 p.m. and is $20 per person.
• Taste of the Kitchen will be held Saturday, October 10, also at the Culinary Institute of Charleston’s Palmer Campus in downtown Charleston. There will be two sessions for the event: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Cost is $45 per person. There will be fun by the forkful as celebrity chefs take the culinary stage to show how chefs do it and Culinary Institute chefs take participants into the kitchens to cook hands-on. Add the wine and beer classes and the buffet lunch, and you have a full plate.
• Taste of the Arts on Gallery Row will be held Saturday evening, October 10, 6 – 8 p.m., at various art galleries in downtown Charleston. The art walk combines Lowcountry art with the culinary arts and will showcase the talents of local artists while offering guests a sampling of appetizers from a variety of Charleston’s favorite restaurants. This event will be held 6-8 p.m. and is $20 per person.
• Taste of Charleston (Main Event) will be held on Sunday, October 11, at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant. The event will showcase a sampling of the taste-tempting delights served at more than 40 of Charleston’s finest restaurants. Additional highlights include the legendary Waiter’s Wine Race, food and wine pairings, a selection of specialty and imported beers, cooking demonstrations, the Best of the Taste contest, live music with East Coast Party Band on the main stage and a Kids Corner (complete with a petting zoo). Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door.
Tickets for all events may be purchased at local Kickin’ Chicken restaurants or online at www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com.
Sponsorship opportunities are now available and will provide sponsors with an opportunity to position their products or services in front of thousands of potential customers. Several sponsorship levels have been created and may be applied to any one of the three special events. Excellent media exposure for the festival will include all four major television networks; local, regional and national radio stations and print publications; and major support from popular local media outlets such as Charleston magazine and the Post & Courier.
For more information about the events, contact Kathy Britzius, executive director of the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association, at kathy@charlestonrestaurantassociation.com or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Monique Semper Flynn at moniquesemperflynn.gcra@gmail.com.
10/09/2009 - 10/11/2009
