Last Fall we were invited to participate in Chef Vivian Howard’s Deep Run Roots book launch. She came out to The Parlour at Manns Chapel for a book signing event as part of her book launch! If you don’t know Chef Howard, she is a author, owner, and sometimes chef at Chef & The Farmer in Kinston, NC, and host of the award winning PBS show, A Chef’s Life. Her show is in it’s fourth season and is popular among foodies and chefs alike. According to the show summary, “Chef Vivian Howard explores farm-fresh cooking, family and community in North Carolina’s low country in this half-hour series from South Carolina ETV. Each episode follows Vivian into cornfields, strawberry patches and hog farms as she searches for ingredients for her seasonal menus at her restaurant, Chef & the Farmer, in Kinston, N.C.”
I was finally able to finish reading her new book – which was perfect timing since it’s finally Al Fresco season. We were honored to participate as both a vendor and a guest for this event! Not to mention, I always love a good Chef’s Dinner. Chef Howard recently opened up a new burger joint in Kinston, NC, The Boiler Room, which everyone is raving about!
The Carolinas have such a multitude of well-known chefs! Other chefs who came out to the event included, Brian Kaderavak from Chef and The Farmer in Kinston, NC, Frank Lee from Slightly North of Broad in Charleston, SC, John May from The Piedmont in Durham, NC, Bill Smith from Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, NC, and Cynthia Wong from Butcher & Bee in Charleston, SC.
Rebecca Ames from Rebecca Ames Photography was on hand to photograph the event. Her photos from the event were simply beautiful! Also, did you know that she actually started out her career as a pastry chef?
Yvette and Aimee of The Parlour at Manns Chapel hosted the event. They are also foodies and are Chef Howard’s #1 and #2 fans. They were thrilled to host the event at their beautifully restored new venue. Their website puts it best, they serve “as the perfect venue for spirited events, tastings, and pop-up dinners.” Also, Tera Vita, is an company that organizes and promotes food related events and they did a great job with this one!
Our Durham Copper Chairs worked perfectly in this setting! Also, do you love the French Stripe Linens you see on the tables? Contact us directly because we have recently acquired these and they will be available for rent soon.
On the right is Joe with Chef Frank of Slightly North of Broad. Frank Lee shucked a clam for Joe, who was in heaven. Fresh clams are his absolute favorite. Joe had a great conversation with him on how he grew up in Bayside, NY, next to Little Neck Bay, which is where Little Neck Clams get their name from!
My husband, Joe, and I. Next time you see Joe, don’t forget to call him by his other name, Mr. Luxe 🙂 Joe is Director of Delivery and Warehouse Operations, this may have been his favorite event to date, because he got to eat so good!
