Rosemary Beach Pops A Few Corks For Charity

October is the ideal time to visit SoWal, but this fall there’s a new reason to visit the beach. Rosemary Beach Uncorked is bringing together eight restaurants in a SoWal-sponsored event that will present their signature dishes paired with boutique wines on Oct. 23 from from 1 to 5 p.m.

Last year when Onano Neighborhood Café Chef Chris Joyner mentioned there were discussions ongoing for a unique event at Rosemary Beach, something that would showcase the restaurants and bring visitors to this beautiful beach community, it was early in the planning stages. Now the word is out about the event and the charity it will support.

Caring and Sharing of South Walton, an organization that provides food and financial assistance to needy residents, will receive the proceeds from Rosemary Beach Uncorked.

“Our restaurateurs have a great passion for food and wine … plus they also care deeply about this community. Rosemary Beach Uncorked is a chance for them to share their love of cooking while raising funds to help Caring & Sharing feed area families in need,” says Kathy Kemp, Town Center Marketing Director at Rosemary Beach Property Owners Association.

As restaurants post menus and the wines they will serve, it will be a difficult decision to pick which items to sample. Each restaurant will prepare three dishes that can be paired with six selected wines, for a total of 24 gourmet food and 48 boutique wine pairings.

That’s a lot of choices, but isn’t sampling new and interesting foods and wines part of the fun? During the four-hour event, guests are invited to visit the restaurants in any order to sample the food and wine.

The restaurants are Amavida Coffee, Courtyard Wine & Cheese, Cowgirl Kitchen, La Crema Tapas & Chocolate, Onano Neighborhood Café, Restaurant Paradis, Summer Kitchen and Wild Olives Market/Bakery/Deli.

Tickets, at $75 per person, are still available for this delightful culinary and wine event, says Hillary Fosdyck of Monark Events, but she is quick to point out that the number of tickets is limited.

There are two other special events at Rosemary Beach scheduled to coincide with this opportunity to enjoy good food and wine.

On Oct. 22, Restaurant Paradis will host “The Wagner Family of Wines Wine Dinner” at 7 p.m. The meal will include five courses paired with wines selected by Michael McIntosh. Tickets are $99 per person. Reservations can be made at (850) 534-0400.

Then on Sunday, Wild Olives will close out the weekend with a Champagne Brunch offering unlimited champagne and a pre-set brunch menu from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 each. Make reservations at (850) 231-0065.

Why not plan to make a weekend visit or if you live nearby, consider the convenience of walking to and from the event from your own luxury accommodations in Rosemary Beach? Take advantage of the “Grape Escape” package that includes two event tickets for guests booking through Rosemary Beach Cottage Rental Company.

For details, go to www.rosemarybeachuncorked.com.