Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Enjoy a taste of the mountains
 |
| Rosalba Martinez of Chef Jeff's Cajun Buffet prepares a dish of trout with crab meat dressing before the restaurant opened its doors for the dinner crowd. As a first-year participant in Rhapsody in Rabun, the restaurant will serve corn and shrimp soup and its 'famous' bread pudding at the fund-raiser, co-owner Jeff Spring said. |
By Jeremy Styron News Editor
Before Jefferson Giles took a job at Kingwood Resort, he watched the annual Rhapsody in Rabun fund-raiser expand in influence and prominence from his home in Tucson, Ariz.
Receiving a subscription to The Tribune as a Christmas present each year, he noticed changes in article size about the event year by year, which was likely indicative of Rhapsody's steady evolution.
"It just kind of grew over the years, and now it's one of the biggest things of the year," he said. "When you read about Rhapsody, there was a small little blurb, and it just grew."
Rhapsody, which will include 12 restaurants serving up their unique brands of appetizers, entrées, desserts and more, will benefit the Creative Learning Center this year.
According to restaurant owners and cooks, Rhapsody serves the dual benefit of meeting existing and new clientele as well as supporting a noble cause.
Vijay Selvaraj, executive chef at Kingwood, said his restaurant would serve a "steamship" roast beef, rolls, condiments and garlic mashed potatoes. "They call it a steamship because it's massive."
Selvaraj, who has worked at Kingwood for five years and with the resort's parent company, Killearn Inc., for 12, said the organization would donate about $2,000 in food to the Rhapsody event.
"It has become a very big deal," he said. "Today, what it is, it's so many restaurants wanting to support it."
Another restaurant mainstay over the years has been The Dillard House, which owner John Dillard Sr. said had participated since Rhapsody's inception.
The Dillard House typically spends a minimum of $1,000 for the event. Often, the amount is much more, Dillard said.
Initially, the restaurant latched onto the event because "we just thought it was a way of getting our name out in front of a good potential clientele," he said.
"I think anytime you can get out and meet people it's helpful - potential or our already customers."
Billy Johnson, owner of The Cupboard Café and a founder of Rhapsody, said his restaurant usually donated about $10 per person for food at the event. Labor is an added cost, but some employees donate their time as well.
The Cupboard menu this year will include steak au poivre, boiled shrimp and chantilly potatoes, Johnson said.
"It also allows restaurants to be recognized ... and this allows the restaurants to show their talents way beyond what the restaurant does" during normal business hours, he said.
"It's probably the most single expenditure the restaurant would experience, but it also has the most single exposure of anything else they would participate in as well," Johnson added.
Rhapsody newcomer Chef Jeff's Cajun Buffet will prepare two main dishes for the event, which co-owner Jeff Spring expected would feed about 400 people.
Spring and employees will prepare corn and shrimp soup and "our famous" bread pudding, he said, adding that he selected a couple of "signature" dishes that would "hold up well under the Sterno" food warmer.
"People think all Cajun food is too hot to eat, and that's not the case," Spring said. "I just want to show them at Rhapsody that Cajun food, we call it 'well-seasoned,' but it's not burning too hot to eat; and so far everybody that's been coming out of here's just really been enjoying everything."
Known as the "Taste of the Mountains," Rhapsody would be an impossibility without the participation of local eateries.
"Without the restaurants, this event really cannot happen," said Rabun Martin, chairwoman of the Creative Learning Center's Rhapsody committee.
"They give so much and with the economy being so bad, (their willingness) to give is a huge thing," she said. "I think people just expect them to do it, and they do it every year. But golly, it's huge what they give. We just need to applaud them."
Jeff Fulp, Rhapsody board president, said more than 300 people had committed to attending the event, and sign-ups are still taking place. The night will include dinner, musical entertainment and live and silent auctions.
Martin said the center plans to use Rhapsody money to create an endowment fund for student scholarships, which she estimated would provide about 12 children per year with financial assistance. A portion of the money may also go to buy day care equipment and curriculum.
"The Rhapsody board felt overwhelmingly that helping the cause for the children in the community was certainly an excellent place for Rhapsody to put its efforts," Fulp said.
For more information on the event, call 706-782-6737 or 706-782-7751.
What: 16th annual Rhapsody in Rabun
When: 6 p.m. Sept. 10
Where: Rabun County Civic Center
Participating restaurants
Huddle House
Bon Appetit
North Georgia Technical College
Mama G's Italian Restaurant
Kingwood Resort
Café Sugo
The Dillard House
Glen-Ella Springs
Goat Island Grill
The Cupboard Café
The Stockton House
Chef Jeff's Cajun Buffet
Receiving a subscription to The Tribune as a Christmas present each year, he noticed changes in article size about the event year by year, which was likely indicative of Rhapsody's steady evolution.
"It just kind of grew over the years, and now it's one of the biggest things of the year," he said. "When you read about Rhapsody, there was a small little blurb, and it just grew."
Rhapsody, which will include 12 restaurants serving up their unique brands of appetizers, entrées, desserts and more, will benefit the Creative Learning Center this year.
According to restaurant owners and cooks, Rhapsody serves the dual benefit of meeting existing and new clientele as well as supporting a noble cause.
Vijay Selvaraj, executive chef at Kingwood, said his restaurant would serve a "steamship" roast beef, rolls, condiments and garlic mashed potatoes. "They call it a steamship because it's massive."
Selvaraj, who has worked at Kingwood for five years and with the resort's parent company, Killearn Inc., for 12, said the organization would donate about $2,000 in food to the Rhapsody event.
"It has become a very big deal," he said. "Today, what it is, it's so many restaurants wanting to support it."
Another restaurant mainstay over the years has been The Dillard House, which owner John Dillard Sr. said had participated since Rhapsody's inception.
The Dillard House typically spends a minimum of $1,000 for the event. Often, the amount is much more, Dillard said.
Initially, the restaurant latched onto the event because "we just thought it was a way of getting our name out in front of a good potential clientele," he said.
"I think anytime you can get out and meet people it's helpful - potential or our already customers."
Billy Johnson, owner of The Cupboard Café and a founder of Rhapsody, said his restaurant usually donated about $10 per person for food at the event. Labor is an added cost, but some employees donate their time as well.
The Cupboard menu this year will include steak au poivre, boiled shrimp and chantilly potatoes, Johnson said.
"It also allows restaurants to be recognized ... and this allows the restaurants to show their talents way beyond what the restaurant does" during normal business hours, he said.
"It's probably the most single expenditure the restaurant would experience, but it also has the most single exposure of anything else they would participate in as well," Johnson added.
Rhapsody newcomer Chef Jeff's Cajun Buffet will prepare two main dishes for the event, which co-owner Jeff Spring expected would feed about 400 people.
Spring and employees will prepare corn and shrimp soup and "our famous" bread pudding, he said, adding that he selected a couple of "signature" dishes that would "hold up well under the Sterno" food warmer.
"People think all Cajun food is too hot to eat, and that's not the case," Spring said. "I just want to show them at Rhapsody that Cajun food, we call it 'well-seasoned,' but it's not burning too hot to eat; and so far everybody that's been coming out of here's just really been enjoying everything."
Known as the "Taste of the Mountains," Rhapsody would be an impossibility without the participation of local eateries.
"Without the restaurants, this event really cannot happen," said Rabun Martin, chairwoman of the Creative Learning Center's Rhapsody committee.
"They give so much and with the economy being so bad, (their willingness) to give is a huge thing," she said. "I think people just expect them to do it, and they do it every year. But golly, it's huge what they give. We just need to applaud them."
Jeff Fulp, Rhapsody board president, said more than 300 people had committed to attending the event, and sign-ups are still taking place. The night will include dinner, musical entertainment and live and silent auctions.
Martin said the center plans to use Rhapsody money to create an endowment fund for student scholarships, which she estimated would provide about 12 children per year with financial assistance. A portion of the money may also go to buy day care equipment and curriculum.
"The Rhapsody board felt overwhelmingly that helping the cause for the children in the community was certainly an excellent place for Rhapsody to put its efforts," Fulp said.
For more information on the event, call 706-782-6737 or 706-782-7751.
What: 16th annual Rhapsody in Rabun
When: 6 p.m. Sept. 10
Where: Rabun County Civic Center
Participating restaurants
Huddle House
Bon Appetit
North Georgia Technical College
Mama G's Italian Restaurant
Kingwood Resort
Café Sugo
The Dillard House
Glen-Ella Springs
Goat Island Grill
The Cupboard Café
The Stockton House
Chef Jeff's Cajun Buffet
 |
||
| New turn lane brings relief |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of theclaytontribune.com.
