On Friday, September 9th, Pay It Forward Charleston and Heritage Radio Network (Brooklyn, NY) will kick off the “Brighter Days Ahead” public awareness and fundraising campaign with a joint-benefit ticketed dinner at High Wire Distilling. The all-star lineup of chefs will present a multi-course meal while attendees enjoy live music and programming. Event organizers say this fundraising experience will be “all about the comfort that food provides through hospitality and storytelling.” “Brighter Days Head” will feature guest bartender Megan Deschaine; chefs Vivian Howard, Jacques Larson, and Zahra Tangorra; and Processing co-hosts Zahra and her mother Bobbie Comforto, who will showcase their podcasting skills by emceeing the evening's celebration.
Attendees will be greeted with a welcome reception featuring High Wire spirits and snacks with jazz curated by Tobin's Market's Paul Joliet. While seated for dinner, guests can enjoy a set of music by Mike Quinn (Doom Flamingo, Motown Throwdown), Dave Grimm (Motown Throwdown), Alex Kellner (The Terraphonics), and Stu White (Motown Throwdown, Weigh Station, and formerly Doom Flamingo). The evening will conclude with mingling with friends, a High Wire nightcap, and the opportunity to make a donation to the organizations.
Zahra Tangorra and Bobbie Comforto Pay It Forward Charleston’s “Brighter Days Ahead” Campaign will be a 17-day public awareness and fundraising initiative to further organizational efforts of supporting people in the food and beverage industry. Taking place from September 9th through September 25th, the campaign consists of more than 25 Charleston area bars and restaurants presenting a special High Wire Hat Trick Botanical Gin cocktail with a portion of proceeds from drinks benefitting Pay It Forward Charleston's Emergency Relief Fund. The fund offers grants to those who work in restaurants, bars, or suppliers that are faced with unforeseen financial hardship. Businesses participating in the campaign will compete for the highest number of cocktail sales with the top business winning an all staff pizza and ice cream party sponsored by Uptown Hospitality at King Street's Uptown Social. High Wire Distilling is located at 311 Huger St. in downtown Charleston. Tickets start at $150 and are now on sale here. About the Participants Zahra Tangorra: A Brooklyn-based chef and restaurant consultant, Zahra was the chef and owner of Brucie, a beloved Italian restaurant in Cobble Hill. Zahra now offers lasagnas, meatballs, and more acclaimed comfort food through pop up Zaza Lazagna and produces two podcasts “Processing” and “Life's a Banquet” on Heritage Radio Network.
Chef Howard Vivian Howard: An award-winning cookbook author, tv personality, chef and restaurateur, Howard leads restaurants Lenoir and Handy and Hot in Charleston, in addition to others in her home state of North Carolina. Her first cookbook, Deep Run Roots: Stories & Recipes from My Corner of the South (2016), is a New York Times bestseller and was named “Cookbook of the Year” by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She created and stars in public television shows Somewhere South and A Chef's Life, for which she has won Peabody, Emmy and James Beard awards.
Chef Larson Jacques Larson: Larson has been cooking and building community in Charleston since 1996 and can be found at the helm of Johns Island's popular Wild Olive Cucina Italiana and The Obstinate Daughter and their gelateria Beardcat's Sweet Shop on Sullivans Island. Both Green Certified Restaurants have become highly acclaimed, locally and nationally, for their excellence in serving simple cuisine in a soulful manner, along sustainable lines, with the OD earning a James Beard nomination in 2019. About Processing: This unique podcast explores the intersection of food and grief. Mother-daughter cohosts Bobbie Comforto and Zahra Tangorra are joined by a special guest each episode who shares their personal experience with loss, grief, and heartbreak, and how food factored into their journey. Bobbie has worked as a psychotherapist specializing in bereavement and trauma for over 30 years, but before entering the world of grief counseling Bobbie was a culinary entrepreneur. Zahra Tangorra is a Brooklyn-based chef and restaurant consultant. They share a deep love of food and a personal understanding of its connection to grief.
Chef Tangorra Change and loss are inevitable in all our lives. The relationships that we as humans have surrounding food and loss are universal and relatable across different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles. It is our individual adaptation to the things we cannot control that makes us unique. Processing exposes and digests these commonalities and differences in each episode.
As part of this event the co-hosts will create a unique episode that tells the stories of Charleston's F&B community and reflect on that opportunity with guests at High Wire. Heritage Radio Network (HRN) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit media organization with a mission to improve equity, sustainability, and deliciousness by changing the way waters think about food.
