Wish Upon a Chef, a gourmet extravaganza paying tribute to the culinary excellence of local chefs, has an important mission: raising funds to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The event is sponsored by Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina and will take place Dec. 1 at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside, 301 N. Water St.
 
Founded in 1986, Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina serves medically eligible children residing in the 49 counties east of the Orange/Alamance county line. According to a statement from the organization, they have granted more than 3,200 wishes to children in the area, with each wish costing an average of $7,500. Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina operates solely by donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.
 
At Wish Upon a Chef, guests will enjoy tableside service of signature dishes prepared by each participating chef, and have the chance to cast votes for their favorites.
 
“One of the things that will set this event apart from many other culinary-themed benefits is the table-side service,” said Make-A-Wish Eastern NC spokeswoman Janis Netherland. “There will be no waiting in lines, all the food will come to you while you relax at your table.”
 
While the list of participating chefs continues to grow, those already signed on include: Kirsten Mitchell of Grand Cru Food & Wine, Tammy Hodge of Creative Cake Design by Tammy Hodge, Keith Rhodes of Catch, Mark Milner of Milner’s Café & Catering, Marina Lee of Gigi’s Cupcakes Wilmington, Brent Poteat of 22 North, Dean Neff of PinPoint, and William Robert of Innovations at the Hilton Wilmington Riverside.
 
The evening will be hosted by Orlando Jones and Jackie Jordan of WGNI and will feature a live auction with exclusive, gourmet-themed, packages created by the chefs, a silent auction and a wall of wishes wine pull.
  
Tickets and full details available through the organization's website.
 
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