St. Augustine, Fla. – The fifth annual Great Chefs of St. Augustine will take place on Thursday, May 23 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the River House. The event, hosted by Jacksonville Magazine, is the city’s most prestigious culinary competition featuring some of the best chefs from mainland and island restaurants and businesses.

Great Chefs includes a cocktail competition followed by a three-course meal and dessert paired with wine, as well as a silent auction. Chefs will create exceptional courses highlighting ingredients from local farms and purveyors. Guests sample two dishes per course and vote on their favorite. At the end of the evening, guests’ ballots are tallied to determine the winning culinary team:  Mainland or Island. Overall, everyone wins as together we fight hunger for our neighbors in need.

Team Mainlandis comprised ofreturning champions Chef Matthew Brown, Collage Restaurant; Chef Genie McNally, The Floridian Restaurant; Chef Scott Ostrander, Casa Monica Resort & Spa; and Chef Nils Rowland, Crème de la Cocoa. Kelley Fitzsimonds, mixologist from Odd Birds Loft, will participate in the cocktail competition.

The contenders from Team Island are Chef Bob Henle, The Reef Restaurant; Chef Ben Loose, Gas Full Service Restaurant; Nick Massie, mixologist, Blackfly – The Restaurant; Chef Chip Richard, Cap’s On The Water; and Chef Sebastian Sikora, Dessert First Bistro.

All proceeds from the event provide critical support to serve the most vulnerable in our community, regardless of religion, race, gender or ethnic origin. Catholic Charities helps transform lives by meeting basic human needs, restoring human dignity and assisting toward self-sufficiency.

Various programs include the Weekend Hunger Backpack program which sends elementary and middle school children home with nutritious food so they will not go hungry over the weekend. For individuals in rural areas, the Back Roads Mobile Food Pantry provides access to healthy food. The St. Augustine food pantry serves people year-round. Last year, Catholic Charities distributed over 56,000 pounds of food to neighbors in need in St. Johns, Putnam and Flagler counties.

Sponsors of the 2019 event include Silver Sponsor: Superior Real Estate Services; Bronze Sponsors: Borland Groover/Dr. Bill and Susan Foody and CenterState Bank; VIP Sponsor: St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. Wine is provided by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.  

Tickets to Great Chefs V are $150 each and can be purchased at www.ccbstaug.org/great-chefs/. For information about how you can help transform lives and make a contribution, please visit www.ccbstaug.org. For more information, contact Karen Mathis at (904) 829-6300 or email kmathis@ccbstaug.org.

Photo Captions:

Team Island: (From left) Team Island includes Chef Matthew Brown, Collage Restaurant; Chef Scott Ostrander, Casa Monica Resort & Spa; Chef Genie McNally, The Floridian Restaurant; and Chef Nils Rowland, Crème de la Cocoa. Not pictured: Kelley Fitzsimonds, mixologist, Odd Birds Loft.

Team Mainland: (From left) Time Island includes Nick Massie, mixologist, Blackfly – The Restaurant; Chef Ben Loose, Gas Full Service Restaurant; Chef Chip Richard, Cap’s On The Water; and Chef Bob Henle, The Reef Restaurant. Not pictured: Chef Sebastian Sikora, Dessert First Bistro.

About Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc., St. Augustine Regional Office

Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. is a premier service provider for the most vulnerable in our community. By providing emergency financial and food assistance, we are putting our beliefs into action to transform lives in St. Johns, Putnam and Flagler counties. Last year, we provided compassionate care to more than 10,000 individuals. For more information, visit www.ccbstaug.org.

DATE: April 10, 2019
CONTACT: Kathleen Bagg
(904) 262-3200, ext. 110/office
(904) 434-3909/cell