Monday, May 02, 2016

Feast Down East, a regional food system co-founded by UNCW, will host Wilmington’s third annual premier farm-to-fork event, “Raise the Barn” on May 14.

The 6-10 p.m. dinner event at the New Hanover County Arboretum, 6206 Oleander Drive, will showcase food prepared by locally renowned chefs in support of local farms and fisheries. Admission for the event is $80 per person, or $150 for two. Tickets can be purchased online.

“Raise the Barn” will feature an elegant yet comfortable cocktail hour, tapas-style gourmet food, family-friendly games, a silent auction, dancing and live music provided by Wilmington’s own L Shape Lot. The event will also present a unique opportunity to meet both farmers and chefs at the forefront of Feast Down East’s local movement.

Chefs from 22 North, Catch, Ceviche’s, Chef & the Farmer, Hops Supply Co., Manna, PinPoint Restaurant, Plantation Village, Rx Restaurant and Bar, Surf House and UNCW Campus Dining will present a wide variety of dishes made from locally grown and raised ingredients.

All event proceeds will benefit Feast Down East, co-founded by UNCW in 2006 as a regional food system to help small-scale farms gain access to larger, local markets such as restaurants, grocery stores, schools and hospitals. Its purpose is to build a strong local food system and alleviate poverty in rural and urban communities.

This year, Feast Down East is highlighting the Healthy Communities program, which aims to advance food-security to low-income neighborhoods through the distribution of affordable fresh produce, community gardens and healthy cooking classes.

­­--Hallie Criste

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