The culinary staff of the Wilmington Convention Center – a large convention center on the North Carolina coast – took home three awards at the seventh annual Epicurean Evening event.
Hosted at the convention center by the Methodist Home for Children, which works to ensure safe, nurturing homes for children, the charity event featured food, drinks and competition from the area’s restaurants and chefs. More than 500 guests wined and dined on masterpieces from 30 culinary artists in and around Wilmington, N.C.
SAVOR…Wilmington Catering, the full in-house catering service operated by SMG, was awarded the Gold Award: Best Taste; Gold Award: Best Appetizer; and the highest honor: Best in Show for The Copper Kettle Award.
“The Wilmington Convention Center continues to better its culinary reputation for our facility. We receive wonderful feedback from every customer hosting events on the food product, quality and presentation for our award-worthy cuisine,” said Susan Eaton, general manager, Wilmington Convention Center.
Scott Frazzetta, executive chef at the convention center, and his team created an appetizer consisting of a Seared Scallop with Champagne Cream Spinach and a Lemon-Saffron Risotto. Because Frazzetta enticed event attendees with a menu of appetizers, beverages, entrées and desserts, he and the Wilmington Convention Center won the Copper Kettle, which will remain at the venue for a year and grants the team bragging rights as “Best in Show” in the city.
“Each dish we create reflects our coastal location and our commitment to serving the finest, freshest local foods to be used in our savory creations. Our staff embodies a collaborative spirit of passion and innovation to create original menus for each event,” said Frazzetta.
This is the third year in a row the Wilmington Convention Center has brought home top honors, including winning the People’s Choice Award in both 2011 and 2012.
The Silver LEED certified Wilmington Convention Center offers meeting capabilities from 20 to 2,000 people. It includes a 30,000 square-foot exhibit hall, 12,000 square-foot ballroom, more than 15,000 square feet of pre-function space and nearly 6,000 square feet of additional meeting space.
