When CURE’s good friend and long-time partner, the St. Regis Atlanta, shared with us a concept for a new culinary event in Atlanta called Out of the Kitchen, we were immediately excited. The enthusiasm of General Manager, Guntram Merl, who had started Out of the Kitchen charity events at other properties he has managed, was contagious.
“Honestly, the over-the-top, elaborate idea was unlike anything offered in Atlanta,” recalled Lauren Sims, CURE’s Director of Development. “I thought Guntram had an incredible concept, and we were thrilled to be chosen as the charity partner. During the planning of the event ,we watched in amazement as the best chefs in the city jumped right in.”
The inaugural event took place on November 16, 2017. The beautiful St. Regis ballroom was transformed into sixteen intimate tables with seats surrounding a food preparation area. Each table had its own chef who created a unique menu just for the event. During the night, these chefs prepared food in front of the guests, talked and laughed with them, explained techniques, and shared culinary secrets. To walk the floor was to stroll from country to country as the smells of cuisine from Italy, France, Greece, Thailand, and many others wafted in the aisles.
And if the smells and tastes weren’t enough, after the dinner a spontaneous auction erupted. Local foodie legend, Steak Shapiro served as the master of ceremonies as the chefs offered extraordinary, personal culinary experiences for the top bidders. The room roared with laughter when Chef Kevin Rathbun took over the host duties and handled the microphone nearly as well as he handles a knife. Every guest raved about the evening, and CURE was thrilled to be a part of it. All told, the night raised $225,000 and left our hearts as full as our stomachs.
“The incredible generosity of time and passion from our Atlanta Chef’s community makes an event like Out of the Kitchen possible,” said Guntram. “Partner this with the truly amazing organization that CURE is… what a ‘recipe’ for a truly remarkable evening. The St Regis Atlanta is so grateful for being able to bring this to our community and we hope that this will become the marque culinary event for years to come.”
Thank you to the St. Regis Atlanta, Steak Shapiro, and all of the incredible chefs who donated their time and talent to benefit our mission to find a cure for childhood cancer. Out of the Kitchen 2018 will take place November 15. After the success of the inaugural event, we know it won’t take four weeks to sell out this time.
