Food for the People - and Me, Me, Me!

Guerrilla Cuisine, Hampton Park, Charleston, S.C.

I am late to the game, finally attending a Guerrilla Cuisine dinner well into it's third year of monthly dinners. Shame on me.

Guerrilla Cuisine is Charleston's original collaborative dining project. While the idea of "underground", "alternative" dining is not a new one we've put our spin on it, refined it and brought it to Charleston starting with two dinners in November of 2007. Since those dinners we've evolved and continue to evolve into an exciting culinary, social and philanthropic venture that pushes boundaries, brings awareness and builds communities.

While you may know Guerrilla does at least one event per month and that the event location is only available to paid guests the night before the event. What you may not know is that each event is a collaboration between us, the chef, the farmer, the artists and a particular charity. Think of it as a local awareness project with proceeds from each event benefiting a selected charity...sometimes national, often local.

Guerrilla Cuisine is not for everyone, it's not a sit at the table look at a big menu and pick what you want. It's 5-7 course prix fixe meal to which you BYOB and sit at communal tables with other people as cool as you. Our events are held in unconventional spaces that thus far have included a winery, art galleries, a backyard, a living room, and a warehouse.

I was lucky! Not only did I get to attend I was invited to take the photos which gives me leeway to roam and snoop. The chef for the evening was Jill Mathias from Carolina's (yum, yum) and the setting was the greenhouse at Hampton Park. Nine courses, kids! So much delicious food that we had to have an intermission and listen to music and rest up to feast some more. I ate rabbit with gnocchi, soft shell crab and pan roasted tile fish in a greenhouse, can you imagine? It was all scrumptious.

Our host JimiHatt (yep, all one word) coordinates the events now with the help of his wife Angel. Friend him under "Guerrilla Cuisine" on Facebook or register at his web site to find out about upcoming dinners. After you register, if you are lucky enough to snag a ticket in time, you are sent the secret location twenty four hours before dinner time.

Thanks folks. It was a grand evening. More photos here.