A mob of chefs paraded through the streets of downtown Charleston this morning to kick off the 2010 BB&T Charleston WIne + Food Festival. Maybe parade is too strong a word. Chefs gathered, milled about, filed onto the risers, and were applauded by the gathered crowd.
A nice touch was the vibe provided by a group of local boys, who pounded out some amazing rhythms on garbage cans and overturned buckets, Stomp-style.
Mayor Riley spoke about what a great festival it is, blah blah blah. Love Mayor Riley but his speeches are always so dull. W+F Chair Richard Widman said some words, as did the BB&T banker who supports the festival with a major sponsorship deal.
Then, some nice awards were handed out. Mickey Bakst of Charleston Grill was given the Laura Hewitt Legend Award. A fitting tribute to the host with the most. Not only is he a remarkable front man, but Mickey directs a great deal of his energy towards charity, raising tons of money and organizing efforts like Charleston Chefs Feed the Need. Kudos to him.
A new award this year was given to and named for Chef Marc Collins, the guy who came up with the idea of starting the W+F festival. He seemed genuinely touched.
Then, the sabers were drawn and the corks were sliced off by Charleston’s favorite sommeliers, including Patrick Emerson, Clint Sloan, and Brad Ball.
Overall, it was a nice kick-off to the festival as it brought as many chefs as possible together for a group hug, providing endless photo ops for yours truly.
Check out all our pictures here.
Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No newspaper subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations from downtown to North Charleston to Johns Island to Summerville to Mount Pleasant.
Help support independent journalism by donating today.