The Charlottesville 29

If there were just 29 restaurants in Charlottesville, what would be the ideal 29?
07/08/2019

Fleurie Auction: Wine Dinner of a Lifetime

Fleurie

Here is your chance to experience Fleurie like you never have before, while helping to feed the area’s hungry: The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions. Along with all of the other restaurants in The Charlottesville 29, Fleurie has created a once-in-a-lifetime experience for whoever pledges the highest donation to The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Thanks to the generosity of Fleurie, the entire winning bid goes directly to the food bank. And, thanks to the efficiency of the food bank, each dollar donated creates four meals for the area’s hungry.

The Fleurie signature experience for The Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions:

Wine Dinner of a Lifetime

For more than a decade, Fleurie has been among Charlottesville’s top destinations for lovers of food and wine. Fleurie will join one of the region’s best wineries, Lovingston Winery, to host a dream gastronomic experience for oenophiles. The auction winner and up to nineteen guests will sit on the veranda of Lovingston Winery and enjoy an over-the-top feast with show-stopping wines. Fleurie owner Brian Helleberg will dig deep into his personal cellar for rare and special bottles that sommelier Melissa Boardman will pair with the group’s dinner. As for the food, that will depend on the season, but from caviar to truffles to foie gras, Helleberg and Chef Joe Walker plan to create a meal that the group will never forget.

It’s the ultimate Fleurie dining experience: Wine Dinner of a Lifetime.

Estimated value: $7,500.

Note: The auction winner will schedule the experience at a mutually convenient time with Fleurie and Lovingston Winery.

Bidding

Place your bids by email at charlottesville29@gmail.com. The auction will end August 20 with live bidding at Prime 109’s Celebration of Charlottesville restaurants. Email bidding closes August 20 at 3 pm.

Current Bid: $4,200

07/08/2019

Help Restaurants Fight Hunger in Charlottesville

Charlottesville29_FBCover_D1

Some have been so moved by restaurants’ generosity in The 2019 Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions that they have asked: “Aside from bidding, what else can I do to help?”

Indeed, the experiences that restaurants have created for whoever pledges the largest donation to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank are extraordinary. They are moving.

So what can you do? In addition to bidding, the best thing to do is share. Now that restaurants have donated such incredible dining experiences, the next challenge is to find bidders who can do justice to the restaurants’ generosity. Some kind readers have volunteered to be auction “ambassadors,” helping to identify potential bidders and making sure they are aware of the auctions. The answer is “of course!”. What a great use of your time. The more potential bidders who are aware of the auctions, the greater the benefit for our area’s hungry. Every dollar of winning bids goes directly to the food bank, and each dollar is enough to create four meals for our area’s hungry.

Below is an email one former auction winner sent to her food-loving, philanthropic friends. You can help fight hunger by doing the same.

Hi Foodie Friends (and wannabes) —

What’s better than a great meal with great friends while also supporting a great food-related cause (The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank)?

As you might know, “The Charlottesville 29” is running an auction and 29 diverse and interesting restaurants in Cville will donate all proceeds from their unique events to the food bank.

Events mostly include theme-based food events for 6 to 50 (mostly at the restaurants but some at your own home, e.g., Milan’s event).

But, you can also enter a raffle for Bodo’s for a year, learn to bartend from one of the best mixologists in town, create your own beer, or… have the folks from Lampo come to your house and build a real, working, pizza oven in your backyard.

(I won the auction for Petit Pois last time and they catered a Book Party at our house.  It was great fun.)

Go here to link to all that’s going on and get the links to see the current bids.

https://charlottesville29.com

Send your bids to: charlottesville29@gmail.com

Each day, one new restaurant comes online.  So far, below is up-to-date but there are more to come.  Bidding goes for a month for each restaurant.

So far amounts range from a few dollars (Bodo’s raffle) to a few hundred to, um, lots more for that Lampo pizza oven.

And, as of now, there are some seriously underbid events.  Take a look and add a bid!

That’s all so far but more to come including: Ace Barbecue, Bebedero, Bizou, Brasserie Saison, C&O, Fleurie, Hamilton’s, Ivy Inn, Mas, Pad Thai, Parallel 38, Petit Pois, Rev Soup, Sultan Kabob, Tavola

Enjoy !

(Auction Ambassador for the 2019 Charlottesville29 Auction)

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