NY-themed Chamber Ball honors local leaders, chefs from World Trade Center restaurant
Over 600 people gathered at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort and Spa Saturday for the Hilton Head Island- Bluffton Chamber of Commerce’s annual ball, which honored community organizations and local leaders for their service.
The guests were joined by over a dozen local and New York chefs who worked in Windows on the World, the famed restaurant on the World Trade Center’s 106th floor.
A notable break from the ball’s traditional program was the absence of the Alice Glenn Doughtie good citizenship award, which last year was given to Emmett McCracken.
Chamber spokesperson Charlie Clark said the fewer number of awards was due to the evening’s focus on local and visiting chefs, whose work was showcased in a spread of 21 tapas-style dishes that were hand-passed throughout the event.
Organization of the Year
The Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head Island received the evening’s highest honor: Organization of the Year.
The club has been serving children on the island for 30 years with special emphasis on working families. Last year the club provided 327,500 hours of childcare and served 52,000 meals to children, according to the chamber.
“It’s hard to imagine what started in a single apartment has grown into an organization that serves 300 kids daily,” director Kim Likins said as she accepted the award. “Our staff has educated and loved these children when their lives were fraught with uncertainty.”
In 2019, the club became the first organization in South Carolina to integrate math education with artificial intelligence when it launched a tutoring program that used small robots designed to teach lessons and adjust to users’ comprehension levels.
In 2020, the club will construct a new outdoor pavilion using a federal grant to expand its programs and help serve more children.
John Curry Tourism Award 2020
The John Curry Tourism Award was given to Carolyn Vanagel, former president and CEO of the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance festival.
“Vanagel has transformed a small gathering of car enthusiasts to a 10-day, nationally recognized lifestyle event,” according to the chamber.
She retired at the end of 2019 after 16 years at the helm of the festival.
“It has been so rewarding to see this event grow from the beginning,” Vanagel said as she accepted the award. “Thank you so much.”
The John Curry award is given to those whose work fundamentally shapes Hilton Head Island’s tourism industry, and has been awarded to four individuals since its founding 13 years ago.
The award is named after John Curry, Disney World’s first hotel employee, who left Orlando for Hilton Head in 1972 and established the Visitor and Convention Bureau. The bureau is the chamber’s marketing arm, which is responsible for showcasing the island to the world.
Curry also led efforts to incorporate Hilton Head Island.
Zonta Woman of the Year 2020
The Zonta Woman of the Year award was given to Kathi Bateson, former president, CEO and executive producer at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.
Bateson announced her retirement in 2019, shortly before the Town of Hilton Head Island announced the arts center would partner with the University of South Carolina-Beaufort and become a university-run institution.
“This achievement is because of you,” Bateson said as she accepted the award. “And it’s for the arts center and the community.”
During Bateson’s 22-year tenure, the Arts Center became the state’s third-largest arts organization as well as its largest professional producing theatre.
Bateson also oversaw expansion of the center’s educational efforts and is a founder of the Taste of Gullah event and the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry’s Women in Philanthropy group.
Culinary talent 2020
This year’s Chamber ball was New York-themed, and featured a tapas-style meal prepared by celebrity and local chefs:
- Marc Murphy: Landmarc, “Chopped” judge, and former Windows on the World chef
- Florian Bellanger: former pastry chef at Le Bernardin and “Cupcake Wars” judge
Chaun Bescos: executive chef at WiseGuys
Clayton Rollison: owner of Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar
- Cesar Acevedo: executive chef at Marriott Hilton Head Resort & Spa
- Sean O’Connell: Atlantis Bahamas Resort, Canyon Ranch, and Desert Mountain Club
Brian Coseo: executive chef at Sea Pines Country Club
Eric Bedoucha: Financier Patisserie
The event also paid tribute to the Windows on the World restaurant at the World Trade Center. On Sept. 11, 2001, 79 of the restaurant’s employees were killed in the terrorist attacks.
Windows on the World now lives as a legendary piece of Americana, according to Island Packet columnist David Lauderdale.
Journalist Tom Roston’s new book about the restaurant is titled “The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World.” Roston was also an honored guest at Saturday’s ball.
Windows on the World alumni attended Saturday’s event, including:
- Philippe Feret: owner of Hilton Head Social Bakery and former Windows on the World executive chef
- Frederic Kieffer: l’escale and former chef
- Kevin Zraly: best-selling author and former wine director
- George Delgado: former head bartender
- Georges Masraff: Michelin-Star awarded chef, former culinary director
- Martin Doyle: vice president food and beverage at Parx Casino and former chef
- Arnauld Briand: Ventano Italian Corner and Oyster Bar, and former chef
Saturday’s ball was the first time since before the terrorist attacks that the chefs had shared a kitchen together, according to chamber president and CEO Bill Miles.
Check The Island Packet’s website for a complete photo gallery from the 2020 Chamber Ball.
This story was originally published February 1, 2020 at 9:14 PM.
