Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

March 22, 2007 issue


Local Celebrities and Restaurants Serve Up Money for Make-A-Wish During 2nd Annual Celebrity Serve

March 27

Story by Sam Calhoun 

This Tuesday, March 27, the stars will be out all over Boone and Blowing Rock.

Local stars, that is.

Dozens of the faces that are synonymous with the High Country will serve up food for a good cause for the second annual Celebrity Serve—an event held at participating restaurants in Boone and Blowing Rock where 10 percent of the night’s proceeds support a local charity. This year, the recently established Make-A-Wish Foundation is the beneficiary. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children in the Watauga County area who are facing life-threatening illnesses. 

Last year, the first-ever Celebrity Serve served up food and fun in eight local restaurants and raised nearly $18,000 for Hospice.

This year’s roster of restaurants has already grown to twice that number.

Back for the second year will be Bandana’s, Casa Rustica, Makoto’s, The Peddler, Pepper’s, Red Onion and Six Pence Pub. Those restaurants will be joined for the Celebrity Serve by Baxter’s Smokehouse, The Bistro, Boone Drug (lunch at the King Street location and breakfast and lunch at the downtown Boone location), Dan’l Boone Inn, Flipside Pizza, Mountain House (for breakfast and lunch), Pssghetti’s, Troy’s 105 Diner, Woodlands and Café Portofino. 

During the Celebrity Serve, each participating restaurant will serve its regular menu, but the dining experience will be star-studded with local celebrities, such as area coaches and players, law enforcement officers, members of the media, preachers and teachers. Local celebrities will act as bus boys and girls, hosts and hostesses and waiters and waitresses to help make the dining experience unforgettable and perhaps a bit humorous, but also to help attract customers to raise more money for charity.

The Celebrity Serve Committee that organizes the event consists of Jack and Lisa Pepper, Tim Baxter, Gwen Dhing, Mary Hall and Sherrie Norris. Approximately 80 collegiate women from ASU’s Chi Omega, local sponsors for Make-A-Wish, are also helping to organize the event.

Restaurants still have time to register for the event. For information about how to participate, call 828-262-1250.

Want To Go?           

Date: Tuesday, March 27
Time: 5:00 p.m. (most locations)
Location: Participating Boone and Blowing Rock restaurants
Cost: Price of meal—10 percent of proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation