Eat Up! Columbus
The fourth annual Eat Up! Columbus on February 10 is a culinary adventure celebrating community, collaboration and cause cuisine. Set in the beautiful atrium of St. Charles Preparatory School in Bexley, the event will showcase a team of Columbus’ leading and up-and-coming chefs, who will prepare an elevated five-course menu. Drink pairings to complement each course will be selected by award-winning mixologist Cris Dehlavi. Guests will enjoy live music by The Majestics, participate in a silent and live auctions and hear the inspiring story of a survivor of human trafficking.”
All proceeds of Eat Up! Columbus support an important cause in our community—Freedom a la Cart’s work to empower and employ survivors of human trafficking in Central Ohio.
Here at Edible Columbus, we had a chance to talk with one of the Freedom a la Cart employees and a survivor of human trafficking, Sherrie Baisden, and participating chef on the Eat Up! Columbus Culinary Team and Executive Chef at Watershed Kitchen & Bar, Jack Moore.
Read on and reserve your spot at the table.
Edible Columbus: How has Freedom a la Cart impacted your life?
Sherrie Baisden: Freedom a la Cart has given me a second chance at life and helped me become the woman I am today.
EC: What do you enjoy most about working for Freedom a la Cart?
SB: I enjoy working with all the women with all different personalities. I never in my life thought I'd be working with just strictly women.
EC: What do you hope attendees will take away from Eat Up! Columbus?
SB: If you're an attendee at Eat Up! Columbus, I hope you walk away knowing that no matter what, there is help and hope to change your life if you really want to.
Edible Columbus: Which restaurant will you be representing for Eat Up! Columbus, and is there a particular menu item that you’re excited about?
Jack Moore: I am representing Watershed Kitchen & Bar. It’s not that I’m necessarily excited by one chef’s dish versus another, but I am more excited about the chef team that created the menu. Larger chef collaborations are good for our city’s food scene. We have a lot of new faces this year and I’m really excited for the inspiration that will come out of it.
EC: What local foods will be featured in this event?
JM: We have few great purveyors and local talents such as The Butcher & Grocer who are donating product and helping the chefs find what they need for the event. Although Columbus is known for all of its great farmers markets, finding true local produce in volume and variety in Columbus in February can be challenging. It’s up to each chef to source the product they want for their dish and with the event being just a few weeks away, I know the hunt is on with my fellow chefs. I know my search for local ingredients such as rutabaga, apples and kohlrabi shouldn’t be too hard, but I’m very excited to see what the other chefs bring to the table.
EC: How do you hope this event will impact those who attend?
JM: First and foremost, I want the mission of Freedom a la Cart to be heard. There is a major issue both globally and locally with human trafficking, and we can all be a part of the solution. Raising awareness is the first step to rehabilitating women and getting them involved back into the community—and we are doing just that through food.
The impact that I want people to take away is exactly that, the power of food. More specifically, the power of having like-minded people belly up to the dinner table and converse about topics such as these and continue to push our community forward.
Click here to go to the event listing for more details and how to purchase tickets.
