Charleston Chef Joins Peers in Culinary Masters Classic

USA (SANEPR.com) May 30, 2008 -- Marc Collins, executive chef of Circa 1886, the AAA Four Diamond, Mobil Four Star restaurant located at the Wentworth Mansion, is one of eight celebrated chefs invited to participate in the Connecticut Culinary Masters Classic fund-raiser on June 6 in Hartford, Conn.

During the third annual event to benefit the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Chef Collins will prepare a seven-course dinner alongside such acclaimed chefs as Noel Jones of ON Twenty in Hartford, Conn., Seth Eldridge of the Mayflower Inn in Washington, Conn. and Kyle Ketchum, Spiced Pear Restaurant at the Chanler Hotel at Cliff Walk, Newport, R.I. The event will be held at 6 p.m. at ON20, One State Street, Hartford, Conn.

Noted food writer and Esquire columnist John Mariani and author James Gabler are hosts for the dinner and live and silent auction, which are expected to raise $100,000. Tickets are $300 per person. For more information, please call 203-457-9791 or visit www.ccmc2008.org.

A graduate of the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts in Pittsburgh, Chef Collins has headed up Circa 1886 since 2001, earning the restaurant many accolades including AAA’s Four Diamond award, Mobil’s Four Stars, the DiRoNA Award for Fine Dining and Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. Named a Chef to Watch by Esquire magazine in 2001, he helped found the nationally recognized BB&T Charleston Food + Wine Festival.

Set inside the historic carriage house for the award-winning Wentworth Mansion® hotel at 149 Wentworth St. in Charleston, S.C., Circa 1886 is a AAA Four Diamond, Mobil Four Star restaurant offering traditional southern cuisine with a modern twist in a sophisticated, historic setting. Executive Chef Marc Collins, named by Esquire Magazine as a chef to watch in 2002 and co-founder of the successful BB&T Charleston Food + Wine Festival, presents innovative southern dishes, which draw on the rich culinary history of Charleston during the time period when the Mansion was constructed. Chef Collins also brings a French influence and a touch of 21st century culinary artistry to his creations. Circa 1886 has received numerous accolades, including the DiRoNA award for fine dining in North America, as well as the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

The restaurant is open for dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., and prices range from $7 to $10 for first courses, $18 to $33 for featured courses, and desserts start at $8. For more information and reservations, please visit www.circa1886.com or call (843) 853-7828.

For more information contact:
Lyn Mettler (843) 388-8376,
lmettler@mettlerpr.com
AIM: LynMettler