Charleston Chefs Debut at James Beard House in NYC

For Immediate Release, September 2007

The James Beard House, a national center promoting culinary heritage in the US, will host a dinner featuring Crew Carolina chefs and Southern coastal cuisine on September 10, 2007.

The menu, A Southern Coastal Seafood Dinner, will prominently feature fresh local produce, seafood – and classic Southern preparations. Participating chefs will include Ryan Herrmann, Executive Chef of the Boathouse on East Bay; Charles Arena, Executive Chef from the Boathouse at Breach Inlet; Jeremiah Bacon, Executive Chef of Carolina’s Restaurant; Craig Ashman, Chef - Carolina Catering; and Jeff Lanzarro, Executive Chef of the Boathouse on Lake Julian in Asheville, NC will all be participating.

The dinner is inspired by the Crew Carolina’s “Plantation-to-Plate” initiative, which supplies fresh produce grown at Kensington Plantation (a 670-acre ancestral site north of Charleston, SC) to the company’s restaurant group. The initiative’s principal purpose is to “literally offer fresh local flavors” and to maintain the integrity of South Carolina soil, farming and culinary traditions. Richard Stoney, President of Crew Carolina and part owner of Kensington Plantation, is spearheading the effort, which includes not only a sustainable and heirloom variety rice crop (from organic seedstock), but also a vegetable and spice garden.

The debut harvest from the Kensington gardens will be served at The James Beard House dinner – including figs, mixed greens, cowpeas, black eyed peas, snap beans, squash and several spices from the gardens.


Crew Carolina now forms the managing structure for the Boathouse Restaurants, Carolina's, Carolina Catering, Simply Southern Products and our new alliances providing catering and event planning for two of Charleston's jewels, Boone Hall Plantation and Magnolia Plantation. For further information please see www.crewcarolina.com.

The James Beard Foundation is a national non-for-profit organization based in New York City dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and nurturing America’s culinary heritage ad diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary experience. Dinners at the James Beard House showcase culinary artists from around the world. For further information, see www.jamesbeard.org