August 13, 2013

Knox Heritage Summer Supper in a Glass Box


Knox Heritage is a wonderful Knoxville nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the community about the importance of historical preservation of local buildings and properties. Each year, Knox Heritage holds a series of fundraising events called Summer Suppers.


Each supper is held at a local venue and has its own committee of volunteers who plan, prepare and serve the meal to attendees.

Committee members and other local businesses make an initial donation to cover the cost of the food and all the money raised from event ticket sales goes to Knox Heritage to help it fulfill its mission of preservation and protection of Knoxville's historically significant sites.


I served on a committee for a Knox Heritage Summer Supper a few weeks ago and I wanted to share my experience!


The setting for the Summer Supper I helped with was a mid-century modern home on Cherokee Boulevard in Knoxville. The home was designed by well-known Knoxville architecture firm Barber McMurry and the gracious homeowners who opened their living room for the event were both professors at UT's College of Architecture.

Our theme was classic 1950's, with a typical steakhouse menu that included:

Classic Martinis & Whiskey Sours
Wine, Beer, & After Dinner Liqueurs
1950’s Appetizers
Shrimp Cocktail
Bleu Cheese Wedge Salad
Prime Rib
Steakhouse Potatoes
French Green Beans
Homemade Cloverleaf Rolls
Chocolate Chip Icebox Cake

The committee members divided up the food preparation and other tasks. Half the group arrived early to set up the tables and handle decorations. The other half stayed late to take everything down. It was so fun to work together a group and see the event come together!

We ended up raising nearly $6,000 for Knox Heritage! And even though it was quite a bit of work, it was all great fun. I can't wait to take part in a Summer Supper again next year!

Chocolate Chip Icebox Cake...I've gotta get the recipe! 
Does your city have anything like this? I think it's important that we preserve the history and heritage of our cities....rather than tearing down old buildings to build new ones in their place.


{top image via Flickr Creative Commons by MsBlueSky}