Indulge in the tastes of Charleston and help out local charity Burke United Christian Ministries on Saturday, as Chef Aaron Deal whips up regional dishes at First Baptist Church.
Event organizer Angela Deal said after her son's appearance on the CBS Early Show's Chef on a Shoestring segment in January, local fans encouraged Aaron Deal to host an event in his hometown of Morganton.
Aaron Deal is currently the executive chef at Tristan in Charleston, S.C. He moved to Charleston six years ago and has been at Tristan for four years in several capacities. He was recently profiled in the July issue of "Southern Living" magazine.
Deal said the menu he prepared for the event includes familiar items that are "fun."
"It's traditional flavors and ingredients that you find indigenous to the area," Deal said. "It's more exciting than what you might typically see (on a menu)."
An example of the traditional mixing with the fun are the sweet potato biscuits, wildflower honey barbecue pork and summer corn fritters with smoked mayonnaise.
But it's not all about the food; the event will feature music by Joseph Hasty and the Centerpiece Jazz Trio and the proceeds will be donated to Burke United Christian Ministries.
"The main motivation behind this (event) is to bring something fun and exciting but at the same time benefit Burke United Christian Ministries," Deal said.
Deal said that as a youth he joined his parents to volunteer at the charity.
Angela Deal and her husband, David Deal, continue to volunteer at Burke United Christian Ministries' soup kitchen.
Angela Deal said with the high unemployment rate and the greater demand for assistance, "it just makes sense to us to really try to support that basic need for food in the community."
"We see first hand the need of the people coming there," Deal said.
Aaron Deal said, "I want people to know that this is for a great cause. While we're trying to showcase all this great food, we're doing it for an important reason: to raise money for Burke United Christian Ministries."
Want to go?
Taste of Charleston
First Baptist Church, 502 W. Union St.
6:15 p.m. reception; 7 p.m. dinner Saturday
Tickets are $50; available at the church, BUCM and MorgantonBank of Granite.
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