How to Raise Money, Southern Style.

I met a young lady who approached me about donating a piece of my art work, a pig was her request, it’s was for the High Museum’s annual fund raiser. No problem I told her I would be happy to help the cause.

Well one thing led to another and the next thing I know I’m working with some of the people I have written about on this here blog.

What I doing is donating a piece of art for a fund raiser, but this ain’t no common fund raiser, it’s the 16th annual for the High Museum of Art. It’s all about art, food, wine and the good things in life. It draws folks from all over the country because of the wines offered for auction. From what I’m told it is some of the best wines from California and some you just can’t get otherwise.

It seems they have focused on wine as a theme for this event for years. You can bid on one bottle of wine or a case of wine. You can bid on a wine dinner for two or a pork pull for thirty. That’s the lot I’m involved with, “Cork and Pork”.

Cork and Pork is split into two parts. The first is a seminar at Restaurant Eugene. Of course it will focus on pork and the king of bacon will be there to share his product and knowledge. Allan Benton is considered to be the best bacon man in the South. In today’s age of fresh and local all the best chefs in the Southeast turn to him to fulfill their need for bacon and other pork products.

Chef Linton Hopkins, owner and operator of Restaurant Eugene, along with his wife Gina, will prepare the meal. Crispy black-eyed peas with pigtails, Deep South Salumi and pork belly with fixin’s are just part of the fare to be enjoyed.

John T. Edge will be on hand to answer questions and wax poetic on the virtues of pork and all things Southern. Edge is the Director of the Southern Foodways Alliance and the author of many books on Southern food. I have written about his book, A Southern Belly, on this blog more then once.

I get to work with the wine maker providing the wine for the seminar and the auction the next day. Tuck Beckstoffer helps run his family vineyards in Napa Ca. He also has his own labels and 75 Wine Company will be represented for this event. Tuck will blend a special wine for the seminar and auction and the piece of art I have donated for the auction will be used for the label on this special blend. The wine will be called Hog Wash. Ain’t that cool?

Then the next day at the silent auction Chef Hopkins, Tuck Beckstoffer and myself will team up again and make a lot available to the winner which will consist of a pig pull for thirty, lessons on cooking the pig and a special box to cook pigs in. There will also be more wine, Hog Wash that is and a large pig painting by yours truly.

This has all come together because of a really neat lady, Elizabeth McDonald. Elizabeth saw my paintings at a Christmas Market, contacted me the next day and one thing has led to another.