Savannah Technical College will host an interactive event led by Savannah Culinary Institute instructors with hands-on demonstrations paired with wines, known as Interactif, at 5:45 p.m., on Thursday, November 14 in the Eckburg Auditorium (5717 White Bluff Road, Savannah, 31405).

Interactif 2024 will feature four destinations stations along with appetizers and desserts. Guests will travel around the world with elegant tasting opportunities paired with wine selections at the destination stations with take-home recipes. Three stations will feature chef demonstrations where guests work alongside chefs to learn techniques of making boxty potatoes, Vietnamese pancakes, and a cheese/potato pie. International cuisine will include Ireland, Vietnam, and Georgia. The fourth station will feature Sidney Lance.

Cost is $150 per person with proceeds supporting the Patrick Ansley Williams Memorial Scholarship at Savannah Technical College. Seating is limited to 100. Advance tickets may be purchased online: www.savannahtech.edu/Interactif.

Guests will enjoy Guinness braised Irish beef short rib with boxty potatoes, herb glazed root vegetables and spiced red cabbage, Banh Xeo “Happy Pancakes,” Ossetian Cheese and Potato Pie, along with artisan breads, cheeses, charcuterie, and hors d’oeuvres. The event is 21+ and all IDs will be checked. No one under 21, please.

This year Sidney Lance, owner of Rhoot Man, returns to the event to lead a tour of shrubs with craft cocktails. He was the lead bartender at the new Kimpton Hotel (Pacci) in Savannah. He has been voted Best Bartender in Savannah. He has designed bars, created menus and provided staff training. He has consulted distilleries for pairings and started his own line of mixers with Rhoot Man in 2021. 

This event has raised nearly $137,000 to benefit the Patrick Ansley Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund. This scholarship was started in 2012 by Bill Dickinson to honor the late Patrick Williams. Five $1,000 scholarships are awarded annually to STC culinary and hospitality students with a minimum 3.0 grade point average, who are selected by the College’s scholarship committee. Funds are applied toward tuition, fees, books and required supplies.

STC scholarship funds are managed by the Savannah Technical College Foundation, a 501 (c)3 organization whose sole purpose is to raise private funds to support the mission of Savannah Technical College. Gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

With support from the Savannah Technical College Foundation, the College purchased 7 West Bay Street as the new downtown location for an expansion of its Culinary Arts program, which will more than double the available instructional space. Senior level (second year) students will take classes and work in the bakery and restaurant. The hands-on, real-world experience in the restaurant/bakery will allow students the opportunity to apply techniques learned in the classroom to practical use, complete a required field placement, and gain first-hand experience in restaurant operations.

New students are admitted to the baking and pastry program year-round. For more information about Culinary Arts at Savannah Tech visit: www.facebook.com/SavannahCulinaryInstitute.