Went to the unveiling party for the Charleston Food + Wine Festival’s 2009 poster last night where eating, drinking, and schmoozing were being done by the professionals. Serious foodies like Marion Sullivan, Michael Saboe, Dierdre Schiapani, and even Jeff Allen were on hand for the Charleston Magazine-sponsored party at Trident Tech’s new Culinary Institute at the downtown Palmer Campus.
Caterers were dispatched throughout the facility, giving party-goers a chance to see all the shiny new equipment. My friend Scott Steffanelli, who oversees the restaurant there, proudly showed off his PacoJet, some kind of fancy newfangled food processor thing, which he says can make ice cream, sorbets, and such.
Barry Waldrop was there with his famous coconut cake and shots of milk. I had to make sure they were nonalcoholic before I let my 10-year-old date take a slug. Luckily they were, and he threw back two in quick succession. Palmetto Café had some rich, country paté. Iverson Catering was serving seared scallops and lamb in the amphitheatre while Cru Catering and Granville’s were in the demonstration kitchens, dishing out all kinds of yummy. We’re talking duck empanadas, grilled cheese and butternut squash soup, battered shrimp with jalapeño — oh yeah.
They also had some serious mixology happening too — in the swanky lounge they were infusing lemongrass, bourbon, and mint for a good old-fashioned mint julep. Our food critic Jeff Allen found these close to the end of the night, much to his wife’s chagrin. He was duly impressed.
Oh yes, and I’ve taken so long to get to the point of the whole evening — to unveil the new poster and congratulate the winning designer: Rodolfo Lopez.
I also got to grab a copy of the new Charleston Magazine. Their annual food issue has some cool features, including a roundup of some exciting ethnic groceries and an interview of the F+W Fest’s big celebrity chef Bobby Flay by none other than Matt and Ted Lee. Pick it up, it’s a good one.
Speaking of Matt and Ted. I’m heading over to Charleston Cooks! this evening for their top secret cooking class tonight, which doesn’t look to be sold out. So, if you want to get a peek into their next cookbook, come on out. As always with these two, it promises to be fun.
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