Six popular Columbus chefs combine efforts for fall dinner to benefit Giving Kitchen

The Columbus restaurant community is planning for what it hopes will be the first of many local fundraisers for Giving Kitchen, a Georgia-based nonprofit that comes to the financial assistance of hospitality industry workers facing a crisis.

The Columbus Chefs Collaborative Dinner will be held Sunday, Oct. 14 at Rivermill Event Center and will feature a six-course meal prepared by six different local chefs. There is limited seating available for the $125 per person meal that has a “fall harvest” theme. For more information and tickets, visit givingkitchen.org/columbuschefscollab.

Chefs Morten Wulff of Morten’s at Old Town; Trevor Morris of Trevioli Italian Kitchen; Tom Jones of Mabella and The Loft; Mark Jones of Smoke, Black Cow, Mark’s City Grill, Hunter’s Pub, Flip Side Burgers & Tacos, Mark’s Pies & Thighs and Plucked Up; Jeff Brammer of Valley Hospitality; and Rocco Caggiano of Columbus Country Club are combining efforts for one night.

The event is being organized by Yalla Public Relations, a Columbus firm that does a significant amount of work in the local restaurant community.

There will be two large screens in the dining room and those attending the function will get to see the final minutes before a course is served. This will also include interviews with the chefs as they apply the finishing touches to their particular course.

“One thing we wanted to do when we built in the concept was to have it be like ‘Top Chef’ meets ‘Iron Chef,’” said Yalla co-founder Katie Bishop, referring to popular foodie television shows. “We want the guests to feel like they are part of this process. ... They are a little nervous about it and we may have to do a little studio tweaks just in case it’s high intensity. But we are excited to just be able to show their process.”

Columbus is one of the first cities outside of Metro Atlanta to be served by Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency assistance to restaurant workers through financial support and a network of community resources in order to create a restaurant community where crisis is met with compassion and care.

The organization, which was founded five years ago, has given out more than $1.9 million in crisis grants to over 1,200 restaurant workers throughout 47 Georgia counties. It started helping food service workers in Columbus less than a year ago and this is the first fundraiser held here.

“We have already had many grant recipients receive money in the area,” Bishop said.

One of the chefs involved in the dinner has been a local recipient from Giving Kitchen. Mark Jones suffered serious injuries in a May automobile accident that left him paralyzed. He has been going though extensive rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. Jones, assisted by his general manager Jeffrey Bowman, will be making the second course, a white bean soup with ham hock and rustic garden vegetables.

The opportunity to help those in need in the hospitality industry is one of things that has brought the chefs to the table.

“When I heard the Giving Kitchen was involved, that’s something good,” Morris said. “We are going to be raising quite a bit of money for the Giving Kitchen. It was, like, ‘You got to do this.’ It’s a feel-good thing.”

With a lot of feel-good fall food and drink. In addition to the six courses, the cost includes wine and craft beer pairings along with a cocktail hour before dinner.

Wulff of Morten’s at Old Town will be doing a dessert featuring a red wine poached pear with caramel mousse, candied walnuts on top and a Richland Rum molasses.

“It’s a fall desert and, obviously, that’s what we were going for,” Wulff said.

This story was originally published October 5, 2018 at 3:29 PM.