Creative capitalism: Why Asheville chefs give back

Chefs and restaurateurs often come to find the job comes with a set of extracurricular activities.

Not the nefarious kind that Anthony Bourdain famously detailed in his debut tome, "Kitchen Confidential." Rather the altruistic sort — the type that has them serving crudite at fundraiser galas in their spare time.

"Guys like Eric Scheffer and Michel Baudouin and myself and Anthony (Cerrato), we can pull off a party, boy," said Joe Scully, a partner at the Corner Kitchen and Chestnut restaurants.

Scully's said dream team recently swept into the Haw Creek home of Mark Collins, president and CEO of Collins & Co., and George White, administrative assistant at the Western North Carolina AIDS Project.

Baudouin is of Bouchon and the Asheville French Quarter, Cerrato is from Strada and the Social Lounge and Eric Scheffer owns Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian and Victus World Imports. The four each year donate a private, fine-dining experience prepared by all four as an item for the Raise Your Hand gala and auction, which benefits WNCAP.

Collins has been the highest bidder for the past five years. His reward is a candlelit evening with multiple courses of food and a flowing abundance of wine — this year handled by wine guru Kevin Schwartz, who recently opened Divine Wine in East Asheville. Courses range from caviar, served on a mother-of-pearl plate, to roasted squab, presented in a potato nest with eggs fashioned from pears.

"It's an experiential evening, with each chef not only preparing but introducing and serving each menu selection," he said. "(It's) very hands-on, very personal."

Fancy, to be sure, but the end result is grounded in arguably one of the area's most worthy causes: WNCAP helps fund HIV support, education and outreach programs in Western North Carolina. Dining Out for Life is the program's primary fundraiser.

The year of the inaugural Dining Out for Life, 2003, was the same year that Asheville Independent Restaurants formed. Scheffer, then owner of Savoy, suggested a partnership.

"The cause around AIDS was very close to my heart," Scheffer said in a 2013 interview, where he explained that his cousin Bryce died of the disease.

But, according to Scheffer, giving was already part of his makeup.

"It comes from a cultural teaching as a Jew that giving is one of the greatest blessings, and doing so fulfills a moral obligation helping those that are less fortunate and that are in need," he said.

According to Scheffer, between Dining Out for Life and the Raise Your Hand auction, he and Baudouin have raised more then $300,000 for WNCAP.

"In addition, after speaking to my accountant, I have personally contributed more then $400,000 to charitable events and organizations through my personal donations over the past 15 years," he said.

Giving back, as any business owner on the record will be quick to tell you, is spiritually rewarding. But most will also tell you it's financially rewarding, too. That's part of the reason Baudouin takes part in the auction.

"It raises money for WNCAP, but it also creates awareness for your business," he said. "The best thing I can do to attract people to my business is to put food in their mouth."

It's part of a tenet that motivates Bill Gates: creative capitalism. It's the idea that self-interest and caring for others, two aspects of human nature, can be combined for the greater good.

"That's a way of saying that if you are involved with your community as a capitalist, you will reap the benefits of that on several levels," Scully explained.

In giving others a leg up, Scully also gives himself one. Working at benefits allows him to rub elbows with movers, shakers and philanthropists that he might not otherwise get to know.

"For a guy like me, I am not a well-educated person, I don't have a Ph.D. or a business degree from Wharton," Scully said. "I'm basically a trades person. What it allows me to do as an individual is it allows me to expand my social horizons."

Certified Master Chef Mark Erickson, a former boss of Scully's, used to like reminding his employees and students that restaurant workers — at every stage — are in the game of service.

"He said, 'If you think you aren't a servant, you're fooling yourself,'" said Scully. "If you can't make that noble and wonderful, then you should probably find something else to do."

And that, said Scully, is a sentiment that influences both his work, and what he does even when he's not working. "I take great pride in serving others well," he said.

THE MENU

Passed hors d'oeuvres:

•Smoked mussels with endive, lime caviar, fried sea bean, Haw Creek local honey, creme fraiche.

•Duck confit on potato crisp, citrus conserve, mustard.

•Frog legs in a beggars purse.

Entrees:

•Seared Hudson Valley foie gras with brioche toast, date jam, Torrontes reduction, white raisins.

•Butter-poached lobster with poached tomatoes and basil.

•Warm sherry wild mushroom salad with wilted bitter greens, candied guanciale and grape tomato, shaved peppercorn Pecorino.

•Roasted squab with Brussels sprout chiffonade, pear "eggs", carrot ribbons, Pinot jus.

•Seared medallion of venison with North Carolina crab, asparagus and demi glace Bearnaise.

Desserts:

•Mini panqueques con dulce de leche

•Espresso pot de creme

•Blood orange mousse

•Mini cardamom creme brulee with warm fig preserve

Wine pairings:

Wine for each entree was selected by Baudouin and provided by Kevin Schwartz of Divine Wine in East Asheville.